The men shattered the previous best times in this third edition of the Green Lake Time Trial, with Hans Heitzinger leading the way with a time of 21:59 over the 4.3-mile course. A group of runners came in shortly after Heitzinger, led by Erik Barkhaus in 22:24, followed five seconds later by Nicholas Alvarado in 22:29, with Matthew McClement finishing in 22:30 and Michael Van Nuland in 22:32.
Adam Kollgaard finished in sixth place with a time of 22:58, with newcomers Kelton Sears and Keenan Clinch right behind him in 23:00 and 23:08, respectively. Graham Miller took ninth place in 23:53, and Rustin Winger rounded out the top ten by finishing in 24:36. Chris Auld took 11th place with a time of 24:57, twin brother Dan Auld crossed the finish line in 25:24, and alum Nathan Heitzinger finished the course in 26:50.
On the women's side, senior Rachel Yorkston finished first in a time of 19:13, with unattached runner Brittany Hovdenes earning second place in a time of 19:26. Newcomer Lauren Hammerle took third place in 19:39, followed closely by Celeste Cassidy with a time of 19:45. Recent alum Jen Hamann finished in fifth place with a time of 20:18, while Julia Miller took sixth in 20:32 and alum Renah Seay finished in seventh place with a time of 20:37.
Sarah Bolce took eighth place in the race with a time of 20:39, followed by Greta Stickney in ninth place in 21:05. Allison Prather rounded out the top ten of the race by finishing in 21:19, with Ashley Dalton taking 11th place with a time of 21:32 and Nicole Waters crossing the finish line in 12th place in 22:29.
"It was a really fun morning overall," head coach Trisha Steidl said. "The men rewrote the record books for the time trial, which was expected but still amazing to see. The women ran well and showed that just because they are a young team doesn't mean they're not fighters."
After the race, the alums, current student-athletes, parents, and other supporters gathered near the start/finish line of the Emerald City Open, to be hosted by Seattle University in October, for lunch. Everyone introduced themselves and shared stories about their common experiences.
"It was a great start to what will become a wonderful annual tradition. I know the alums were impressed and are going to work hard to get their fellow past teammates to come to our home meet and to the alumni dual next year," said Steidl.
The Seattle University cross country teams start facing outside competition next Friday, Sept. 11, at the West Coast Preview hosted by the University of Portland at Pier Park in Portland, Ore.