With five runners in the top 25, the Seattle University men's cross country team finished in second place, while four top-25 performances allowed the women's team to finish in fourth place Saturday morning at the Beaver Classic, hosted by the Corvallis Running Project at Avery Park.
Matthew McClement (Bellingham, Wash.) led the SeattleU men, finishing in 11th place over the eight-kilometer course with a time of 25:17. Just seven seconds later, Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 14th place in 25:24, with Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) posting a time of 25:29 for a 17th place finish and Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.) finishing in 19th place with a time of 25:35.
Veterans Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Nicholas Alvarado (San Francisco, Calif.) crossed the finish line three seconds apart, with Heitzinger claiming 24th place with a time of 25:40 and Alvarado posting a time of 25:43 for a 26th place finish. Adam Kollgaard (Kent, Wash.) earned a spot on the travel team for next week's Great West Championships with a 32nd place finish in 26:02, and Chris Auld (Eugene, Ore.) finished in 54th place with a time of 27:01.
On the women's side, Greta Stickney (Poulsbo, Wash.) paced the team, finishing in 17th place with a time of 23:00 over the six-kilometer course. Right behind her was Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) in 18th place with a time of 23:04 and Rachel Yorkston (Bellingham, Wash.) in 19th place in 23:07. Celeste Cassidy (Bellingham, Wash.) was also part of the pack, crossing the finish line in 21st place with a time of 23:08.
In 37th place, Brittney Hovdenes (Rapid City, S.D.) posted a time of 23:42, with freshman Jennifer Stolle (Seattle, Wash.) earning a 40th place finish with a time of 23:45. Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.) earned the seventh and final coveted spot on the group that will head east for the conference championships, finishing in 60th place with a time of 24:43. Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) finished in 68th place after completing the course in 25:04.
"It was really fun to watch both teams today, as the guys and the girls ran really well," head coach Trisha Steidl said. "All of the runners today put it out there and showed that their hard work had paid off. They are very confident heading into the conference meet next week."
The top seven finishers from each squad will make the cross-country journey for the Great West Conference Championships, hosted by NJIT at Van Corlandt Park in The Bronx, N.Y. The meet is set for next Saturday, Oct. 31, beginning at 9:30 a.m. local time.