Nicholls Women Win, Men Finish Runner-Up at Nicholls XC Invitational

Bobby Autin • October 5, 2026

Colonels turn in a strong home showing at the eighth annual Nicholls XC Invitational

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls cross country made the most of its home meet Friday morning, with the women’s team taking first place and the men finishing second at the eighth annual Nicholls XC Invitational at Nicholls Farm.

The women put together the strongest team performance of the day, placing six runners inside the top 15 and finishing with 16 points, well ahead of second-place Jackson State with 43.

Issy Rivault led the Colonels with a fourth-place finish, crossing the line in 19:03.9. Lotte Aerts was right behind the front group and finished seventh in 19:56.2, a personal best.

Nicholls continued to stack runners near the front. Emelia Hope finished eighth in 20:13.6, Emily Ward was ninth in 20:21.2 and Kalynn Beacom placed 11th in 20:40.4. Gabriella O’Neal added a 13th-place finish in 21:33.1.

That depth ultimately made the difference. While Nicholls did not have the individual winner, the Colonels consistently packed runners near the top of the field and created separation in the team standings.

Tiger Olympians runner Lorena Rangel Batres won the women’s individual race in 17:35.6, while Tulane’s Morgan Matthews finished second at 18:35.3 and Sophia Galiano-Sanchez followed in third at 18:48.8.

The Nicholls men also put together a solid performance, finishing second in the team standings with 59 points. Jackson State won the men’s team title with 16, while Southern finished third with 75.

Mason Heffernan paced Nicholls with a seventh-place finish in 21:29.1. Brady Sins was the next Colonel across the line, finishing 10th in 22:27.3.

Preston Mire placed 12th in 23:03.8, Jack Kosmer finished 14th in 23:12.8 and William Nizzo came home 16th in 23:17.1. Alex Hartline finished 19th at 23:19.8, followed closely by Elvin Lobo in 20th at 23:32.0.

Gavyn Kiger finished 21st in 23:40.0, Noah Richard placed 23rd in 24:04.8 and Christian Rowe finished 28th in 25:04.2. Miguel Melendez and Henry Schexnayder rounded out the Nicholls finishers in 38th and 40th, respectively.

Jackson State controlled the top of the men’s race, taking the first four finishing positions. Ryan Achau won the individual title with a time of 20:01.0, followed by Godfrey Kimutai, Duncan Koima and Collins Kipruto.

For Nicholls, the meet gave the Colonels another chance to measure their progress while racing at home. The women showed how dangerous their depth can be when the group stays together, while the men placed five runners inside the top 16 on their way to a runner-up finish.

Nicholls will now turn its attention toward its final regular-season competition at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M on Oct. 16.

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