In a competitive field of 46 teams, including 12 ranked in last week’s U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association rankings, the Washington University women’s cross country team took the title at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh AAE Invitational Pre-National race on Saturday. Meanwhile, the Wash. U. men finished sixth in their field of 45.

Mary Richardson | Student Life

Then-junior Ellen Toennies races to the finish line in the UAA Championship race on Nov. 1, 2014. Toennies finished 11th as the women’s team placed first at the
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh AAE Invitational Pre-National race on Saturday.

The top five runners for the women’s team finished within 58 seconds of each other. Leading the pack were senior Ellen Toennies (21:37.10) and sophomore Alison Lindsay (21:48.37), who raced to 11th and 15th, respectively.

Freshman Ellie Degen (21:58.59, 24th), sophomore Anna Maurer (22:35.59, 55th), junior Annie Marggraff (22:36.02, 56th) and freshman Jeri Glicksman (22:55.95, 91st) all finished with career-best times in the 6K race.

Despite the lack of top times, the Bears used their depth to best the elite competition in the meet. Wash. U. finished with 136 points, 29 more than runner-up Willamette University, which had two runners with top-10 finishing times.

The men’s team was slightly more spread out, as junior Ryan Becker used a career-best time of 24:41.1 to finish fifth in the 8K race. Senior Josh Clark (25:03.8, 20th), sophomore David O’Gara (25:35.07, 61st), junior Dillon William (25:37.1, 64th) and junior Ben Rosenkranz (25:40.5, 73th) all placed in the top 75 as the men scored 223 points, edging seventh-place Central College by one point.

Both teams were ranked No. 5 in the country heading into the meet. While the women maintained their position, the men dropped down to No. 16.

The Red and Green have a week off to gather themselves and prepare for the University Athletic Association Championships on Oct. 31 in Boston, Mass.