The Oxford-based American, who was sixth at the 2016 Rio Games, won the British Universities and Colleges crown in Loughborough on Saturday.
It was relatively late that Charnwood College in Thorpe Hill was launched for the British Universities and Colleges Championships after other potential venues fell through, Martin Duff reports.
It was Oxford University Olympian Jared Ward who won the men’s main event, but it was close to the line as Glasgow’s Tom Spencer just lost by a shot on the clock.
Ward had won the Inter Varsity 5000m back in the summer, but was also one of the oldest competitors in the race at 37. He competed for the United States of America at the 2016 Olympics, where he ran in the marathon and finished sixth.
The 2024 Cambridge Varsity Cross Country win against Oxford was also hers, leading Oxford to the team title.
It was the same here as Ward guided his university four to the team title ahead of Loughborough and Edinburgh.
The top women’s race went to Isabelle Holt, with the Leeds Beckett runner a few meters ahead of Loughborough’s Emily Parker and Charlotte Dunath, who led their foursome to a team victory over Birmingham. This improved his fourth place finish from last year.
Victory, however, went to Euro Cross rider Holt. He finished ninth in the BUCS 5000m last summer but is more at home on earth as his win at the English National Junior Championships last winter proved.
The Loughborough students proved their strength in depth, also taking the women’s team title in the short course, also in third place, as their India Frost took individual gold.
They were even more dominant in the final race of the day in the men’s short race, where Hamish Reilly brought home eight of his team-mates for complete purple vest dominance.
Men (long course): 1 J Ward (Oxf U) 33:59; 2 T Spencer (Glass) 34:00; 3 J English (Bristol) 324:05; 4 M Pickering (St Mary’s) 34:09; 5 A Ludewick (Manch) 3421; 6 C Parker )(Oxf U) 34:22; 7 F Jennings (Lough) 34:23; 8 M Ruby (Exe) 34:25; 9 H Henriksen (Edin) 34:36; 10 T Hilton (Edin) 34:44
TEAM (to score 4 goals): 1 Oxford 41; 2 Loughborough 51; 3 Edinburgh 74; 4 St Mary’s 96; 5 Birmingham 102; 6 Leeds Beckett 171
Men (short course). 1 H Reilly (Lough) 27:07; 2 W Sutcliffe (Lough) 27:18; 3 A Melloy (Lough) 27:32; 4 J Rees-Gara (Lough) 27:34; 5 D Thompson (Lough) 27:41; 6 D Van Aardt (Lough) 27:50
TEAM: 1 Loughborough 10; 2 Loughborough B 26; 3 Loughborough C 47
Women (long course). 1 I Holt (Leeds Beckett) 29:08; 2 E Parker (Lough) 29:12; 3 C Dannatt (Lough) 29:14; 4 A Weightman (Camb) 29:22; 5 R Flaherty (Oxf U) 29:27; 6 L Welstead (Leeds B) 29:58; 7 L floor (Durh) 30:10; 8 A Barnes (Burmese) 30:11; 9 S Jacobs (Bath) 30:13; 10 H Andreychuk (Oxf U) 30:25
TEAM (to score 4 goals): 1 Loughborough 49; 2 Birmingham 55; 3 Oxford 68; 4 Leeds Beckett 106; 5 Bath 119; 6 Cambridge 133
Women (short course). 1 I Frost (Lough) 22:30; 2 E Powell (Burmese) 22:35; 3 E Wells (Lough) 22:37; 4 S Roiditis (Burmese) 22;37; 5 A Souter (Bath) 22:59; 6 C Martin (Lough) 11pm
TEAM (to score 4 goals): 1 Loughborough 18; 2 Birmingham 29; 3 Loughborough B 81
