Friday, November 1
Wichita, Kan.
4:05 p.m.
Rice University
vs
AAC Championships
Kopec Leads Rice with Third-Place Finish at AAC Championships
11/1/2024 9:48:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
WICHITA - The Rice Owls women's cross country team shined at the 2024 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships, with freshman sensation Oliwia Kopeć finishing in third place in her fifth-ever cross country meet.
After finishing sixth in last season's conference meet, the Owls cut their total team points in half to finish third as a team this season. First place to third place was separated by just nine points.
Post-Meet Reaction: Head Coach Jim Bevan
"What a difference a year makes. We were 162 points last year in sixth place, and this year we were 72 points in third place. This group has improved tremendously, and we knew we had a shot going into the meet. It was a battle of four teams, and we kept it close. Hopefully, this group, which has a ton of youth, can use this as a learning experience when battling for a championship. Oliwia, in only her fifth cross country race of her life, was exceptional to finish third, which, in my memory, is the highest finish of a Rice freshman at a conference meet. Alex Gobran had her career race today, moving up from 30th last year to 13th this year. Also, Daphne Mayer, in her first conference meet, made All-Conference as a freshman. Heidi Nielson is bouncing back and ran the best race that she has run for us since the start, passing over 15 people in the second half of the race. Amelie Attenborough moved from 35th last year to 24th this year. Molly Humes also had a career race in 29th. Also, Katlyn Schmeltzer went from 65th to 37th this year. To reiterate, this group had been an exciting group to work with. Again, we were in the mix for a championship and I hope this experience helps us in future meets. We had an exceptional meet and had three All-Conference honorees, highlighted by Kopec's third-place finish. Tremendous job by this group."
Kopeć joined the front group of runners from the start and cruised her way through the 6k race to pull ahead to finish third with a sub 21-minute time of 20:55.3.
Alex Gobran (13th) and Daphne Mayer (15th) crossed in 13th and 15th, respectively, to join Kopeć as the All-Conference honorees.
Heidi Nielson was right behind, finishing 17th, while Amelie Attenborough rounded out the Rice scorers in 24th.
The Owls will be back in action on Nov. 15 at the NCAA South Central Regional in College Station, Texas.
Rice Performers – (Out of 100 runners)
3. Oliwia Kopeć – 20:55.3
13 Alex Gobran – 21:26.9
15. Daphne Mayer – 21:31.9
17. Heidi Nielson – 21:38.2
24. Amelie Attenborough – 21:59.9
29. Molly Humes – 22:05.5
38. Katlyn Schmeltzer – 22:32.9
43. Taigen Hunter-Galvan – 22:40.0
46. Brooklyn Crow – 22:43.3
Team Finish
1. Tulsa – 63 points
2. Tulane – 66
3. Rice – 72
4. Charlotte - 79
5. North Texas – 124
6. Wichita State – 166
7. Florida Atlantic – 182
8. ECU – 194
9. UAB – 248
10. South Florida – 281
11. Memphis – 334
12. UTSA – 373
13. Temple - 386
After finishing sixth in last season's conference meet, the Owls cut their total team points in half to finish third as a team this season. First place to third place was separated by just nine points.
Post-Meet Reaction: Head Coach Jim Bevan
"What a difference a year makes. We were 162 points last year in sixth place, and this year we were 72 points in third place. This group has improved tremendously, and we knew we had a shot going into the meet. It was a battle of four teams, and we kept it close. Hopefully, this group, which has a ton of youth, can use this as a learning experience when battling for a championship. Oliwia, in only her fifth cross country race of her life, was exceptional to finish third, which, in my memory, is the highest finish of a Rice freshman at a conference meet. Alex Gobran had her career race today, moving up from 30th last year to 13th this year. Also, Daphne Mayer, in her first conference meet, made All-Conference as a freshman. Heidi Nielson is bouncing back and ran the best race that she has run for us since the start, passing over 15 people in the second half of the race. Amelie Attenborough moved from 35th last year to 24th this year. Molly Humes also had a career race in 29th. Also, Katlyn Schmeltzer went from 65th to 37th this year. To reiterate, this group had been an exciting group to work with. Again, we were in the mix for a championship and I hope this experience helps us in future meets. We had an exceptional meet and had three All-Conference honorees, highlighted by Kopec's third-place finish. Tremendous job by this group."
Kopeć joined the front group of runners from the start and cruised her way through the 6k race to pull ahead to finish third with a sub 21-minute time of 20:55.3.
Alex Gobran (13th) and Daphne Mayer (15th) crossed in 13th and 15th, respectively, to join Kopeć as the All-Conference honorees.
Heidi Nielson was right behind, finishing 17th, while Amelie Attenborough rounded out the Rice scorers in 24th.
The Owls will be back in action on Nov. 15 at the NCAA South Central Regional in College Station, Texas.
Rice Performers – (Out of 100 runners)
3. Oliwia Kopeć – 20:55.3
13 Alex Gobran – 21:26.9
15. Daphne Mayer – 21:31.9
17. Heidi Nielson – 21:38.2
24. Amelie Attenborough – 21:59.9
29. Molly Humes – 22:05.5
38. Katlyn Schmeltzer – 22:32.9
43. Taigen Hunter-Galvan – 22:40.0
46. Brooklyn Crow – 22:43.3
Team Finish
1. Tulsa – 63 points
2. Tulane – 66
3. Rice – 72
4. Charlotte - 79
5. North Texas – 124
6. Wichita State – 166
7. Florida Atlantic – 182
8. ECU – 194
9. UAB – 248
10. South Florida – 281
11. Memphis – 334
12. UTSA – 373
13. Temple - 386
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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