Wolverines Compete at Siena Heights Invitational
The Wolverines wrapped up competition at the Siena Heights Invitational.
ADRIAN, Mich. – The University of Michigan-Dearborn cross country teams returned to action on Saturday at the Siena Heights Invitational, facing off against a competitive field that included several Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) programs. The Wolverines turned in strong performances across both the men's and women's races, highlighted by another top-10 finish from senior standout Elena Wheeler.
The UM-Dearborn women placed eighth overall with a total team score of 210 points and an average time of 26:48.
Leading the Wolverines once again was Elena Wheeler, who continued her impressive senior campaign by finishing 7th overall with a time of 23:38.5, just under a minute off the race winner. Wheeler ran stride-for-stride with some of the WHAC's top competitors, marking her second consecutive top-10 performance this season.
Behind her, Valeria Miranda-Diaz crossed in 41st place with a time of 25:23.5, while Kaitlyn Bourque finished 43rd in 25:33.5. Elizabeth Lambert added a time of 29:36.0 (82nd), and Tariyah Dawson clocked 29:52.2 (83rd) to round out UM-Dearborn's scoring five. Aarya Dhakal also competed, finishing in 96th (31:21.2).
Aquinas College captured the women's team title with 43 points, followed by Spring Arbor (81) and Madonna (103).
On the men's side, the Wolverines had three runners compete individually in a deep 12-team field.
Brett Leidal led UM-Dearborn with a strong effort, finishing in 43rd place with a time of 27:28.9, averaging 5:31 per mile. Anderson Gattis followed closely in 57th, running 28:04.3, while John Borowicz clocked a 29:42.9, Adam Haag rounded out the Wolverine runners with a 32:27.9.
Aquinas claimed the men's team crown with 40 points, edging out Madonna (54) and Indiana Tech (79) in a highly competitive race that featured multiple sub-26:00 finishes.
