On an unseasonably hot afternoon in Northeastern Ohio on Tuesday, the Case Western Reserve University cross country teams kicked off their 2026 seasons with a pair of wins over John Carroll University at the Bill Sudeck Invitational in Hunting Valley, Ohio, at the University Farm.

The CWRU women began the day with a 24-34 win over the Blue Streaks, led by a sweep of the top-two individual spots by sophomores Francesca Taracila and Reid Smith. The Spartan men followed with a 22-33 win, with junior Donovan Crowley, senior Jacob Slater, and sophomore Jay Woodhouse claiming the top-three positions.

Women's Race

• Taracila was the top finisher out of 14 competitors on Tuesday, crossing the finish line in a time of 15:48.9, and was followed closely by Smith, who completed the 4K course in a mark of 15:49.3.

• After three consecutive John Carroll runners came across the finish line, the Spartans secured the team win with four-straight finishers. Juniors Cecilia Postma (16:39.3) and Becca Liaw (16:46.3) were sixth and seventh, respectively, while sophomore Maya DiPasquale completed the group of Spartan scorers, placing eighth overall in a time of 16:47.7

• Junior Julia Walko (ninth, 17:08.0) and sophomore Kasey Thomas (11th, 18:05.1) served as the displacers for the Spartans, and sophomore Hannah Nevius (12th, 18:08.3) rounded out the group of finishers for CWRU on Tuesday.  

• The John Carroll women entered the meet ranked 29th in the USTFCCCA Division III Poll and fourth in the Great Lakes Region.

Men's Race

• Crowley and Slater finished closely together, with Crowley placing first out of the 29 total finishers with a time of 19:24.6 and Slater coming in a close second with a time of 19:25.3. The two were over 30 seconds ahead of Woodhouse, who placed third with a time of 19:57.0.

• Sophomore Kian Schneeweis was the fourth finisher for the Spartans, crossing the line in sixth place with a time of 20:17.7, and junior George Wood-Leness was the team's fifth scorer, placing 10th with a time of 20:44.2.

• First-year Gen Ogami (11th, 20:53.9) and graduate student Lorenzo Collier (12th, 20:54.8) were the sixth and seventh Spartans to finish, serving as the team's displacers.

• Other finishers for CWRU on Tuesday included sophomore Devin Montileone (13th, 20:58.2), sophomore Austin Schneidler (17th, 21:09.8), sophomore Caleb Guarino (18th, 21:11.6), first-year Liem Sidhu (19th, 21:13.2), sophomore Thijs Doot (20th, 21:16.7), junior Lucas Siepser (24th, 21:57.9), first-year George Soyka (25th, 22:05.4), sophomore Lowell Copps (26th, 22:13.7), and sophomore Jack Andrews (28th, 22:38.4).  

• The Blue Streaks ranked third in the Great Lakes Region coming into Tuesday's season-opening meet.

Spartan Notes

• The Sudeck Invitational is run in honor of the legendary late former CWRU head cross country and track & field coach Bill Sudeck.  During his 46-year career at the Case Institute of Technology and Case Western Reserve University, he led his cross country teams to 12 conference titles, leaving behind a legacy of success for the program.

• The CWRU men entered the day ranked fourth in the Great Lakes Region, while the women were ranked eighth.

• This was the second consecutive season that Crowley and Slater have been the top-two finishers at the event. Slater won the men's 6K last year with a meet-record time of 18:59.45, and was followed closely by Crowley.

• Sophomore Halina Tompkins, who won the women's 4K last year in a meet-record time of 14:42.39, did not compete this year.

• The Spartan men have now won the Sudeck Invitational each of the last three years and have claimed the championship in six of the last seven meets. The Spartans have had the top finisher in the men's race at the Sudeck Invitational in eight of the last 11 years.

• The CWRU women won the meet for the second-straight year. This was the fourth-consecutive Sudeck Invitational that a Spartan woman has been the top overall finisher after Ashley Novak won the meet in both 2022 and 2024, and Tompkins claimed the win last year.

Up Next

The Spartans will be off from intercollegiate competition for the next 17 days. CWRU will host its Alumni Meet on Saturday, September 12 at the University Farm, before traveling to Cedarville, Ohio for the All-Ohio Challenge on Friday, September 18.