MADISON, Wisconsin – Freshman Natalie Shields led the BYU cross country team to a 24^th-place finish on Friday afternoon at the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational by finishing first for BYU and 54^th overall.

The Cougars ran in a field of 49 teams and 327 runners.

“Natalie did a great job for us today,” head coach Patrick Shane said. “This race was Natalie’s, as well as several other runners on our team, second race of the year. They all ran well, but they still haven’t hit their stride.”

Shields, who finished fifth among freshmen, crossed the line in the midst of runners from Minnesota, Yale and West Coast Conference rival San Francisco. Elena Burkhard, a freshman from San Francisco finished 52^nd overall, two spots ahead of Shields. Three weeks ago at the Toledo Bubble Buster, Shields finished one place ahead of Burkhard to place sixth overall.

“Before we came out to Wisconsin, our team met together and set some goals,” Shields said. “Going into this race with something to accomplish together, made it so much easier to compete. Even racing against some teams in our conference, like San Francisco, it’s hard to pay attention to who I’m running against because there are so many people. However, I’m excited for the conference championships, where the field will be a lot smaller.”

Senior Michaelanne Laurent crossed the line 16 seconds behind Shields to finish second for the Cougars and 88^th overall in 20:46. Lindsey Sowards Nielson followed Laurent to finish third for BYU and 147^th overall in 21:00.

Kathryn Vidmar and Rachel Stewart finished 154^th and 174^th, respectively, to round out the top five.

In the ‘B’ race, Andrea Nelson Harrison finished fifth overall to lead the Cougars to a first-place finish. Ashleigh Warner and Sarah Darby placed fifth and 16^th, respectively.  Laura Young rounded out the Cougars’ top five by finishing 19^th.

“This Invitational was more competitive than we thought,” Shane said. “We didn’t have enough information to make all the right calls. Teams like Duke, Yale and UCLA all finished higher than anyone thought. Even though we didn’t finish as high as we did in Toledo, we preformed better. Our runners should peak at about the right time going into the championships.”

The women’s cross country team is back in action Oct. 27 at the WCC Championship in Portland, Ore.

Full results from the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational can be found here.

PROVO, Utah ­– The BYU women’s cross country team heads to Madison, Wis., Friday afternoon for the fourth annual Wisconsin Adidas Invitational as the team continues its road to nationals.

The Cougars will compete against 49 other schools, 19 of which are ranked in the top 30.

“This meet is the most competitive invitational we’ve ever competed in,” BYU head coach Patrick Shane said. “If we beat a few of these teams and finish 17^th or better, it’s really going to help us earn the criteria points we need to qualify for nationals. Last week, our team captains called a team meeting to redefine what they want to accomplish. Their eyes are set on nationals, and Wisconsin is a perfect opportunity for them to work towards that goal.” 

The women’s cross country team last competed in the Greater Louisville Invitational, which consisted of the same amount of participants but not as many ranked teams finishing 14^th overall. The Cougars were led by freshman walk-on Rachel Stewart and senior Kathryn Vidmar, who finished first and second for BYU, respectively. Due to their performances at the Louisville Invitational, they earned the right to compete in Wisconsin.

Natalie Shields is set to join Stewart and Vidmar this weekend as the top runner for the Cougars in her second competition of the season. Shields made her season and collegiate debut at the Toledo Inter-Regional Bubble Buster in Toledo, Ohio, where she finished sixth in a field of 172 runners. She finished first for BYU as well as first among freshman, edging out freshman Elena Burkard of West Coast Conference rival San Franscico.

Michaelanne Laurent and Lindsey Sowards Nielson are also set to compete this weekend as the team’s top upperclassmen. During the Toledo Bubble Buster, Laurent and Nielson finished 31^st and 32^st overall, respectively.

Other runners competing this weekend include Sarah Darby, Shaylynn Baugh Fuller, Maren Hanson Fassmann and Makenna Smith.

The invitational takes place on the Thomas Zimmer Championships Course, which hosted its first cross country race in the fall of 2009.  The course offers challenging terrain for runners and elevated viewing for spectators. Located next to the University Ridge Golf Course, the course features an exterior loop of approximately 2,500 meters and an interior of 1,000m. Both loops cover the area’s rolling hills and valleys, while the outside loop also runs through a section of dense woods.

The race is six kilometers and is set to begin at noon CDT. The event also includes a ‘B' race, which will begin at 1:20 p.m.

More information about the Wisconsin Adidas Invitational can be found at the invitational homepage, and course maps can be found here.