John McNichols Invitational
John McNichols Invitational at Wazzu is a file of 2 stories. The newest of them: “Cross country heads to Indiana for a meet named after a Coug” and “Cougar women take third, men fifth in Terre Haute opener”. There's a cross country meet in Indiana named for a Coug. The Cougar women opened their cross country season in Terre Haute with a third-place finish that feels like a statement. The unofficial read for people who left Pullman and stayed Cougs. The list below is every John McNichols Invitational story on Wazzu, newest first.
Cross country heads to Indiana for a meet named after a Coug
There's a cross country meet in Indiana named for a Coug. That alone should tell you something about the kind of people who come through Washington State. The John McNichols Invitational honors a man who coached at Indiana State for decades, but he was a Coug first, a 1969 grad who ran for WSU and never forgot where he started. So when our harriers head to Terre Haute this weekend, they're running on ground that carries a little Pullman with it. The course is the same one where the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course sits, and our women's and men's teams will line up against a field that includes some solid Midwest programs. It's early in the season, which means this is about building, not peaking. But it's also a chance to see how the pack holds together after that opener in Terre Haute a few weeks back. If you missed it, we wrote up how the Cougar women took third and the men fifth in that first trip to Indiana. That story gives you the full rundown on who stepped up. This trip feels different. It's not just another meet. It's a reminder that Cougs show up everywhere, even in the name of a starting line. Go Cougs.
Cougar women take third, men fifth in Terre Haute opener
The Cougar women opened their cross country season in Terre Haute with a third-place finish that feels like a statement. The men took fifth. That's a solid day for a program that showed up to work, not just to stretch and go home. Terre Haute is the kind of early-season meet that tells you something about depth, and both sides had it. The women in particular looked like they came ready to push. Third place in a field that size means they ran with intent. The men held their own, too. Nobody is hanging a banner for fifth in an opener, but it's a foundation. You can build on that. We also ran a piece on the Cougar women climbing the national rankings. If you want the full picture of where this team sits nationally and why that third-place finish matters beyond the scoreboard, that article has the details. It's worth your time. For now, here is the short version: the Cougs ran hard, placed well, and gave us something to track as the season goes. That is all you ask from an opener. Go Cougs.