Nick Cannata-Bowman (San Francisco, Calif.) and Katie Hansen (Portland, Ore.) each posted top ten finishes as the Seattle University cross country teams performed well Saturday morning at the Cascade Conference Preview meet hosted by Northwest University at Lincoln Park.
Cannata-Bowman was Seattle University’s top finisher for the second consecutive race, finishing fourth overall in the 8,000-meter race with a time of 25:54.98. He was only 24.75 seconds behind individual race winner Josh Simpson of Whatcom Community College.
Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.) finished in 11th place with a time of 26:17.82, followed closely by Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) in 15th place in 26:32.30. Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) finished in 25th place with a time of 27:03.14, with Adam Kollgaard (Kent, Wash.) in 28th place in 27:05.29 and Matthew McClement (Bellingham, Wash.) in 30th place in 27:07.37.
Chris Auld (Eugene, Ore.) crossed the finish line in 39th place in 27:37.74, with Rustin Winger (Tracyton, Wash.) right behind him in 40th place with a time of 27:43.56. Graham Miller (Spokane, Wash.) finished in 44th place in 27:54.15, Alec Adams (Woodway, Wash.) finished in 52nd place with a time of 28:43.13, and Dan Auld (Eugene, Ore.) placed 57th with a time of 29:16.04. Rounding out the Seattle University contingent was Alex Poplawski (Bellevue, Wash.) in 59th place (30:34.97) and Chris Henry (West Seattle, Wash.) in 60th place (30:57.13). As a team, the Redhawk men finished in second with 61 points.
"The guys really stepped it up today and it showed in the results as this was the best team performance this year. CB ran the third fastest time for an 8K course since I've been here. I believe he can continue to improve and that his performances will help propel the rest of the men's team as well. It was also great to have Chris Henry back racing today. He has been dealing with a back injury the entire season and has finally been running for about the past week. So while he doesn't have much training under his belt, he ran with a lot of heart today and exceeded my expectations and probably his as well," head coach Trisha Steidl said.
Once again Hansen ran a strong race, completing the 5,000-meter course in 17:33.84 for a sixth-place finish, just 17 seconds behind race winner Kenna Patrick of Washington and close behind four other Husky runners. Greta Stickney (Poulsbo, Wash.) was the next Seattle University runner to finish the race, placing 26th with a time of 18:58.43.
Rachel Yorkston (Bellingham, Wash.) finished in 32nd place with a time of 19:13.06, with Celeste Cassidy (Bellingham, Wash.) finishing in 39th place in 19:30.43 and Jen Hamann (Colorado Springs, Colo.) right behind her in 40th place with a time of 19:32.87. Natalie Martinez (San Francisco, Calif.) earned a 43rd-place finish in 19:40.38, Rhiannon Cadelinia (San Francisco, Calf.) finished in 49th place with a time of 19:54.85, and Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) finished in 62nd place in 20:34.59.
Jennifer Innes (San Bruno, Calif.) crossed the finish line in 65th place with a time of 20:38.82, Tiffany Hunter (Longview, Wash.) finished in 67th place in 20:40.96, Ashley Dalton (Bellingham, Wash.) earned a 77th-place finish in 21:13.57, and Nicole Waters (Phoenix, Ariz.) completed the course in a time of 22:03.30 for an 89th-place finish. The Redhawk women finished fourth in the team competition with 82 points.
"The women's team had a great race today. Even with some people being sick or dealing with some nagging injuries, it was still the best team performance of the season. Katie ran an overall 5K personal best today. She ran a smart race and was aggressive where she needed to be and it got her a great place and time. A lot of the women rose to the occasion today with great performances. The best part is that all of the senior women (Cadelinia, Hamann, Hansen, Martinez) qualified for the meet next weekend, so they'll get to compete in one more race before their collegiate cross country careers come to an end. I'm excited that they'll be able to share that moment together," said Steidl.
The Seattle University cross country teams will compete at the Beaver Classic hosted by Oregon State next Saturday, Oct. 25, at Avery Park in Corvallis, Ore., beginning at 9 a.m.