LARAMIE – Jacob White left the track at historic Hayward Field with blood dripping down his left leg and determination in his voice.
 
Moments after Wyoming's All-American long-distance runner finished 15^th in the 5,000-meter final at the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships in June the focus turned to the 2025-26 season.
 
"It was not the race I wanted, but I'm still blessed to get out there and compete," White, who suffered the gash on his leg courtesy of a competitor's cleat, said following his race in Eugene, Ore. "I'm ready to get back to work. … It shows me where I am and where I want to be."
 
Fast forward UW's first major meet of the cross country season on Sept. 19 and White crossed the finish line comfortably ahead of the other 105 runners to win the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minn.
 
White chased down South Dakota State standout Cody Larson at the 5K mark and finished the with a time of 24 minutes, 39.8 seconds to lead the Pokes to a second-place finish.
 
"I knew I had a chance to win it from the start," White said. "The first part of the race for me was about being smart because Griak is a very tough course and the last 3K of that race will catch up to you very fast. I think I did a good job of racing with intention instead of being overly ambitious."
 
White finished 17 seconds ahead of Larson and 18 seconds ahead of teammate Ryker Holtzen.
 
UW's rising running star is reluctant to step into the spotlight, but that's where White found himself again after being named the Men's Division I Athlete of the Week by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
 
"It was really fun to see him go out there in that race, run composed, stay patient with the guy that took out the lead, reel him in and then just look really good doing it," UW head coach Scott Dahlberg said. "He's in a better place now than he was at this time last year. With him right now it's keeping him confident. I think some of the successes he's had are maybe putting a little bit of pressure on him. Now it's keeping the perspective of you're a good runner, just keep doing what you're doing."
 
White and Holtzen were UW's top two finishers at the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, where the Cowboys finished 30th. They both earned All-American status while competing in the NCAA Outdoor Track & Field Championships.
 
Two new contributors for the Cowboys, Mathis Chavand and Mac Zastrow, also placed in the top 13 at the Griak Invitational to help the team finish as the runner-up to No. 15 Cal Baptist.
 
"Ryker is super good at connecting with the team in ways that I can't, honestly. It's really great to use both of our strengths and set a really good tone for the team moving forward," White said. "It's a resilient group of guys and they have a purpose ingrained into them from (last year's) group. They were a great group of guys that set the team atmosphere and made this team what it's about. Now it's time we continue that and push that story forward."
 
UW will compete in the 19-team Joe Piane Invitational on Friday in South Bend, Ind. The field includes host and ninth-ranked Notre Dame, Big Ten programs Illinois, Michigan and Purdue and Mountain West rivals Boise State and Colorado State.
 
"We're ready to start using some of the elements of our training in this race," White said. "and start proving to other teams that we are capable of continuing the legacy that we've set."
 
Follow Ryan for more stories on Wyoming athletics on X at @By_RyanThorburn on Facebook at Wyoming Athletics and Instagram at wyoathletics. Also follow him at Pokes Insider at Gowyo.com/pokesinsider.
 
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