FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Senior Kerry White finished 14^th overall in a field of 90 runners to lead the Cowgirls while sophomore Christopher Henry took 26^th in a field of 120 runners to lead the Cowboys at the CSU Duals in Fort Collins, Colo., as the UW cross country team began its 2017 season on Friday.
 
White finished the 5-kilometer Hughes Stadium Cross Country Course in 18 minutes, 15 seconds to place ninth among collegiate competitors. Fellow senior Quinn DeStefano clocked a time of 18:44, taking 26^th overall. Sophomore Calbi Ausmann made a statement by finishing as the No. 3 Cowgirl, clocking a time of 19:05 to take 38^th overall. Juniors Emily Person and Kiah Leonard were the Cowgirls' fourth and fifth finishers, checking in at 19:25 and 19:54 to take 47^th overall and 58^th overall, respectively.
 
"Kerry had a good day today," said associate head coach Amanda Clower following the race. "It was a good first meet for the Cowgirls. We were a little tired today, which we expected. We will have a good three weeks of hard training before our next competition."
 
Henry continued the momentum from the end of his freshman season, helping fill the shoes of his older brother Jonah, who is redshirting the 2017 cross country campaign. The Laramie native clocked a time of 15:24 to pace the Wyoming men. Next for the Cowboys was junior Ricky Faure, who took 51^st overall with a time of 15:56. Sophomore Daniel Hintz showed promise by finishing as the No. 3 Cowboy in the lineup, taking 61^st overall with a time of 16:06. Rounding out the top five for the men's squad were sophomore Harry Ewing and junior Michael Downey, who took 67^th and 74^th at 16:11 and 16:16, respectively.
 
"We needed this race to gauge where we're at and remember how hard to push during a race," said assistant coach Scott Dahlberg following his first meet overseeing the Cowboy cross country squad. "Chris Henry put himself in the mix early and had a very good race today. Now we can put in some good work the next few weeks as we get ready for the Roy Griak Invitational."
 
The Cowboys and Cowgirls will partake in a large volume of training before heading to Minneapolis, Minn., for the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 23. Stay tuned to @wyo_track on Twitter for more information as the season progresses.