In her first Division I collegiate competition, Brittney Hovdenes (Rapid City, S.D.) paced the SeattleU women, finishing 16th overall on the 6k course in 24:28, just 13 seconds ahead of senior Rachel Yorkston (Bellingham, Wash.), who finished in 21st with a time of 24:41. Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.), another squad newcomer, was the next Redhawk finisher, placing in 28th place in 25:20, with Celeste Cassidy (Bellingham, Wash.) right behind her in 31st place in 25:34.
Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) took 40th place with a time of 26:41, followed by Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.) in 43rd place in 27:12. Greta Stickney (Poulsbo, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 50th place in 27:56, Nicole Waters (Phoenix, Ariz.) finished in 52nd place in 28:27, just ahead of Julia Miller (Normandy Park, Wash.) in 53rd place in 28:32, and Ashley Dalton (Bellingham, Wash.) took 55th place with a time of 28:55.
On the men's side, Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was the top Redhawk runner, crossing the finish line in 26th place with a time of 27:36. A group of SeattleU runners was led by freshman Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) in 34th place in 28:01. Ten seconds later, Adam Kollgaard (Kent, Wash.) earned 37th place in 28:11, just ahead of Nicholas Alvarado (San Francisco, Calif.) in 38th place with the same time (28:11), Matthew McClement (Bellingham, Wash.) in 39th place one second later (28:12), and Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.) in 40th place one second after that (28:13).
Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) finished in 45th place with a time of 28:41, followed closely behind by Keenan Clinch (Sammamish, Wash.) in 47th place with a time of 28:47 and Graham Miller (Spokane, Wash.) in 48th place in 28:53. Chris Auld (Eugene, Ore.) finished the 8k course with a time of 30:23, good enough for 59th place.
As a team, the women finished in fourth place with 112 points, behind Portland, Gonzaga, and Willamette. The men collected 135 points for a fifth place finish behind Gonzaga, Willamette, Portland, and Warner Pacific. Joash Osoro won the men's race in 25:30.79, while Lyndy Davis of Portland finished first in the women's race with a time of 22:27.00.
The Seattle University cross country teams will stay close to home for the next two events, beginning with the Sundodger Invitational hosted by the University of Washington next Saturday, Sept. 19, at 9 a.m. at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. The Redhawks will have a week off before hosting the Emerald City Open at Lower Woodland Park on Saturday, Oct. 3, beginning at 10:30 a.m.