BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The Seattle University men's cross country team finished sixth and the women's cross country team placed seventh at the 33rd annual Western Washington Cross Country Invitational, held Saturday morning at Lake Padden Park.
In his first collegiate 10-kilometer race, Nicholas Alvarado (San Francisco, Calif.) finished 33rd in a time of 34:31. Andrew Lybarger (Spokane, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 52nd place with a time of 35:23, followed closely by Lucas Franco (Lopez Island, Wash.) in 55th place in a time of 35:29.
Nick Kirschner (Seattle, Wash.) finished in 64th place with a time of 36:06, while Nicholas Dols (Portland, Ore.) placed 97th with a time of 38:02. Jeff Allen (Indianola, Wash.) completed the course in 41:53, and Andrew Wilburn (Boise, Idaho) crossed the finish line in a time of 42:44. Western Washington placed seven runners in the top 20 to win the team competition, with David Wambui of Simon Fraser winning the individual race in a time of 32:10, just beating John Riak of Saint Martin's.
In the women's six-kilometer run, Charisse Arce (Seattle, Wash.) was the first Redhawk finisher, placing in 51st place with a time of 25:14. Rhiannon Cadelinia (San Francisco, Calif.) crossed the finish line in 63rd place in a time of 25:43, while Jaime Clark (St. Louis, Mo.) came across the line in 69th place with a time of 26:04.
Natalie Martinez (San Francisco, Calif.) finished the course in 26:13, with Greta Stickney (Poulsbo, Wash.) just six seconds behind at 26:19. In her first race of the season, Asia VanderBilt (Seattle, Wash.) finished the course in a time of 26:34, and Jennifer Innes (San Bruno, Calif.) completed the six kilometers in 27:45. Simon Fraser took the women's team title, with Rose Wetzel of Club Northwest taking the individual title in a time of 22:07.
The Seattle cross country teams will have two weeks for final preparations for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships, being held on Saturday, October 21, in Lacey, Wash., with Saint Martin's University acting as hosts of the event.