The Washington men’s and women’s cross-country teams’ sweep at the Sept. 20 Sundodger Invitational set high expectations for their performance going into the Tiger Invite in Alabama this past weekend.

The Huskies did not disappoint: the women dominated their 5000-meter run, nearly posting a perfect team score. Kendra Schaaf led the charge once again, furthering her flawless record in collegiate competition. The true freshman completed the run for Washington with a time of 15:46 and was the only competitor to finish the event in less than 16 minutes.

“I was pleased with my run,” said Schaaf. “This course was pretty flat, so it was pretty easy and I was able to run a little faster than usual. It brings us one step closer to nationals.”

Coming in second was another true freshman, Christine Babcock, followed by sophomore Marie Lawrence. After Auburn and Iowa each placed a runner, the UW’s Katie Follett, Lauren Saylor, Amanda Miller and Anita Campbell rounded out the top nine finishers. Kailey Campbell, Kenna Patrick and Michelle Turner also placed in the top 25.

“The team was all excited about running the 5K because we haven’t run a 5K for awhile,” said coach Greg Metcalf. “Overall, they did a fantastic job.”

The men also had a great outing on Saturday, taking second place as a team in the 8000-meter run. They picked up right where they left off at Sundodger by culling solid performances from many key athletes. Jeremy Mineau, Jon Harding and Jake Schmitt each placed in the top nine.

Harding, last year’s team MVP, was competing in his first event since last season’s NCAA regional meet. Junior Kelly Spady sat out this weekend but is expected to return in the next few weeks.

As the men’s team continues to heal, it will try to turn this success into a routine.

Returning to Alabama, his alma mater, Metcalf was pleased with his team’s success.

“It was a great trip for us to be able to go across the country and come down here to Auburn,” said Metcalf. “For having coached at Auburn it was great to come back here.”

Reach reporter Ben Foutz at sports@dailyuw.com.