With a second-place finish for the women’s cross-country team at the Western Washington University Invitational last week, and a fifth-place finish for the men, the two teams are nothing if not reliable.
Both sides have shown steady improvement over the course of the season, and have produced consistent results in each event; and after a week off from competition, the rest proved valuable as both sides impressed.
Senior Kirsten Allen led the way for the women’s side, finishing the 6km race in just 22:10, good enough for sixth overall. Captain and fellow senior Lindsey Butterworth was not far behind, finishing in 10th place, just 11 seconds behind Allen.
Freshman Rebecca Bassett and sophomore Emma Chadsey finished just one second apart, in 20th and 21st respectively, with times of 22:45 and 22:46. Sarah Sawatzky would round out the Clan’s top-five and scorers, finishing with a time of 22:50.
Though the team finished second overall, the women actually finished first among collegiate teams at the WWU event — the only squad to finish higher was the Greater Bellingham Running Club.
The men’s side, despite trailing their Clan counterparts, still had a solid event. Junior Austin Trapp was the team’s top runner, finishing the 8km race in 30th place, in 33:08. Finishing just one spot and four seconds behind him was teammate Cameron Proceviat, while Brendan Wong, Oliver Jorgensen, and Stuart MacDonald also scored for the men’s team, coming in at 41st, 43rd, and 59th, respectively to round out the Clan’s top-five.
Last week, the Clan were ranked regionally by the US Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with the men making their USTFCCCA rankings debut since entering the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The men were ranked ninth in the West Region, while the women came in third — the women are also ranked seventh nationally.
Their impressive showings at the WWU Invitational won’t hurt those rankings and, after another week off, the team will hope to improve on them in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship on Oct. 26, in preparation for Nationals later this season.
