Men's 8k "A" Race - Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational Presented by Under Armour 2024 [Full Replay]

Watch more from the meet: www.runnerspace.com
VERONA, Wisconsin - Parker Wolfe left Eugene, Oregon on June 30 with the belief he was going to represent the United States at the Paris Olympic Games in the men’s 5,000 meters after finishing third at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials.
But due to being outside the World Ranking quota that didn’t allow him to make the trip to Paris, then be replaced by Harvard’s Graham Blanks instead, the North Carolina standout left the outdoor season with a bit of sour taste in his mouth.
Rest assured Wolfe has put that moment in the rearview mirror after a statement win at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational on a warm Friday that has put him in the driver’s seat as the NCAA cross country favorite moving forward this season.
In his fourth attempt at a Nuttycombe title, Wolfe ran to the top of the podium stand in 23 minutes, 4 seconds for the 8-kilometer race, breaking a course record at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. (Arizona's Lawi Lalang ran 23:03 in 2012, but the course was changed in 2018).
Wolfe finished 24th, sixth, and seventh, respectively, in his first three efforts at Nuttycombe before ultimately putting together an encore performance that went right down to the wire over the final kilometer of the race.
“I think more than anything, it was a good, hard hit that I needed,” Wolfe said. “It definitely kicked my butt. It’s what I needed as an opener. Usually, I open up with the local Charlottesville 5k and it’s a first little hit, but this one was a very real hit.”
Iowa State freshman Robin Kwemoi Bera opened up halfway through the race after setting the pace early on with some urgency at 5 kilometers in and separated himself from the chase pack by six seconds.
Wolfe, Wake Forest’s Rocky Hansen, BYU’s Casey Clinger and Villanova’s Liam Murphy, all in the mix from the gun, began falling back.
“There was a lot of certainty coming into this race where everyone was going to be,” Wolfe said. “A lot of transfers, a lot of international guys. We were kind of feeling it out for the first 5k of that and then (Kwemoi Bera) made it really, really hard.”
Such a bold move by Kwemoi Bera was eventually reeled in by Wolfe with a kilometer to go, as the heat became a fatigue factor towards the end.
Wolfe took to the lead heading into the final uphill portion of the course and only saw green grass ahead of him over the last few minutes.
Wolfe opened up his stride the final 400 meters to put the exclamation mark on his win, all while holding off late charges from Hansen and Murphy.
“I’ve got the fitness there,” Wolfe said. “In this weather, it’s a little hotter out than it usually is at this race. It’s a good confidence boost for sure.”
Hansen, who was sixth at last year’s Nuttycombe as a freshman, upgraded to a second-place finish in 23:06.9 and Murphy finished third in 23:08.6.
Kwemoi Bera settled for fifth in 23:18.2 after falling back the final minutes.
North Carolina’s Ethan Strand joined Wolfe in the top 10, finishing seventh in 23:25.4 and Wake Forest’s Luke Tewalt rounded out the top 10 in 23:32.3.
The No. 2 BYU men used their strength of depth to their advantage with an impressive 41-point outing to capture the Nuttycombe team title after finishing second in 2022 and 2023.
With all five scorers finishing in the top 20, including four in the top 10, the Cougars tied the 2009 Syracuse men’s meet record for lowest number of points scored to earn their first team title at the prestigious early season meet.
“You always feel good when you have four guys in the lead pack at a meet like this, so I was really happy with this” BYU head coach Ed Eyestone said.
After missing all of last fall due to an injury, Clinger’s return to the cross country scene was worth-while, finishing fourth overall in 23:10.4 to lead the BYU contingent that completely dominated No. 5 Iowa State, who finished second with 108 points.
“It was awesome,” Clinger said. “It’s fun being able to hear coach cheer for all the guys on the team right there. I could feel them right there, so it’s fun to have that comradery and come out here and get the win.”
Within that BYU pack was Joey Nokes, Creed Thompson and Aidan Troutner, hanging with Clinger up until about 3 kilometers to go before racing against the clock in the closing stages.
Nokes nearly ran down Kwemoi Bera in the last few meters, earning sixth in 23:21.4 as BYU’s second runner. Thompson and Troutner battled for eighth and ninth, with Thompson clocking 23:28.4 and Troutner running 23:29.6.
Click subscribe to get alerts and never miss a new track video!
Follow RunnerSpace.com on social media at @runnerspace.
Copyright RunnerSpace.com.

[@RDKing-rb4hp]

Big grats to Parker Wolfe. He deserved the win. Also insane performance by Rocky Hansen. Went from 6th last year (as a freshmen) to 2nd.

[@Fernandoo-]

Rocky Hansen is insane, I knew he'd do big things in college from his high school days

[@yna418]

i remember watching him at alexander asics one yr, dude had a 30+ second gap on the field...

[@Hydrogenations]

Knew he'd be good but he's definitely surpassed expectations so early in his career. Can't wait to see him in spring.

[@hueyissanta]

wheres harvard stanford and nau

[@RobotKid2000]

Wisconsin men didn't start anyone either.

[@timothywright320]

@@hueyissanta Stanford ran at the Missouri meet today

[@josephseelos5176]

Who are the announcers on this video?

[@runnerspace]

Paul Swangard and Kara Goucher

[@margaretwessex3571]

@@runnerspace TY. I am impressed by Kara!

[@BarrettDahl-j6t]

Great job parker. We all know you belonged at the Olympics instead of you-know-who. Can't wait for you to win nats. Everything about you reminds me of prefontaine. Size, stride, attitude, form, everything. God bless you my denver brother.

[@christiansantana4869]

Rules are rules, Blanks had the standard it’s as simple as that