Already with one meet under their belts, the Clan cross-country squads are back in action for their 2013 campaign. After a second and fourth place finish respectively at the Sundodger Invitational in Seattle, WA, the women’s and men’s programs are prepared to run away with the season and hopefully pick up some hardware along the way.
Following the squad’s season-opening meet at the Sundodger on Sept. 14, the women’s side has picked up several mid-season rankings, coming in near the top of both the regional and national rankings. The U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) coaches poll ranks the ladies second in the West Region and sixth in the NCAA Division II.
These rankings put the Clan in a similar position to 2012 when the highly ranked team missed qualifying for the national championship by only a few points. If the first race of the season is any indication however, both teams should have excellent fall campaigns, with the men making great strides over previous years.
In that first meet, the women were led by senior captain Lindsey Butterworth who clocked in at 21:29.63 in the 6-km race, for third place overall. She was followed by Kirstin Allen who crossed in seventh position and sophomore Kansas Mackenzie who came in 13th overall. Rebecca Bassett and Tanya Humeniuk were the final point scorers for the ladies, who finished only behind National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) powerhouse UBC, and ahead of all of their Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) competitors.
The men also had a strong showing in their first competition of 2013 coming in fourth overall led by junior Cameron Proceviat, who finished 30th in a time of 25:41.08 in the 8-km event. Freshman Oliver Jorgensen wasn’t far behind, crossing the line next for the Clan in 34th place followed only two spots later by team captain James Young. Austin Trapp and Brendan Wong were also point scorers for the Clan, coming in 46th and 47th respectively.
The cross-country season is a short, action-filled season, and the Clan will be racing throughout the fall to prepare for the GNAC, West Regional and National championships, and will have raced in Spokane, WA this past weeken. Though results were not available at the time of press, if the early going is any indication, 2013 could be a very successful season for both the men and the women.
