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LAINA FRIEDMANN

@laina.friedmann

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long island| arizona🌵🌞

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We hoped for more at Pre-Nationals, but this weekend gave us another opportunity to show the resilience, toughness, and character of this team.

Cold, wet conditions, fierce winds, and even an unexpected overnight stay in the Dallas airport. We finally made it back to Tucson a little tired, but a whole lot hungrier for what’s ahead.

On the women’s side, Mercy showed her incredible strength, taking the race to some of the nation’s best despite brutal winds. Her coach encouraged her to hold back from the aggressive early pace. Looking back, I probably should have trusted her instincts and let her roll! Laina was outstanding, working her way through an elite field with confidence and grit. And our young women continued to show they belong, going toe-to-toe with some of the NCAA’s very best.

On the men’s side, we faced a different kind of challenge. In a massive, crowded field with limited visibility, finding room to move and cover ground was a battle. We weren’t able to navigate the traffic as smoothly as we have in previous races, but what impressed me most was how we responded. We kept fighting, kept passing, and moved forward together as a unit.

Evans and Vincent put themselves right in the mix and delivered tremendous efforts after battling illness all week. Across the board, our guys competed for one another, never stopped moving forward, and showed the kind of fight that defines this group.

We didn’t get everything we came for, but sometimes the most valuable lessons come from the races that challenge you the most.

I’m incredibly grateful for this team, the belief they have in one another, and the amazing people who support us along the way.

Proud of where we are. Even more excited about where we’re going.

Championship season is here. We’re hungry, we’re together, and we’re coming for a spot at NCAAs. 🐻⬇️🌵

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Beyond grateful ☺️

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I love this team more than I can truly express. So proud of where we are and could not be more excited to see where we go. Ultra grateful for an amazing Dave Murray Invite. Thank you for all those who helped put it on. Really excited too continue to turn heads as we embark on our NCAA season. BTFD

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@laina.friedmann day in the life at this season’s XC Camp in Chula Vista 😎 #BearDown

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Helluva summer

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Welcome to America 🦅

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what a gift

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year 1 loading…🐻⬇️

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a hot new bombshell enters the track

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Been a seriously awesome season. Loads of PRs, top ten all-time marks, and even school records. LOVE this crew! Grateful for our seniors! So excited to host BIG 12s and as always, BEARDOWN! Championship season for the Cats…

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Scenes from the CATSYS!

04.20.2026

📷: @azathletics
📷: @beardownphotogs

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5 months of noise and wrong turns. Still showed up. New PR. Earned, not handed.

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