Paced by an all-conference performance by sophomore Matthew McClement (Bellingham, Wash.), the Seattle University men's cross country team finished in second place, while the women's cross country squad also exceeded preseason expectations with a fourth place finish at the Great West Conference Championships Saturday morning at Van Cortlandt Park.
McClement earned second team All-Great West honors with an 11th place finish, posting a time of 26:53.49 over the eight-kilometer course. Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) was the next SeattleU runner to cross the finish line, finishing in 17th place with a time of 27:10.33.
By coming in one after the other, the next three runners were able to secure the team's second-place finish. Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.) finished in 22nd place with a time of 27:22.55, followed by Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) in 23rd place in 27:23.12 and Nicholas Alvarado (San Francisco, Calif.), closing out his collegiate cross country career, in 24th place with a time of 27:25.96.
Adam Kollgaard (Kent, Wash.) earned a 36th place finish with a time of 28:08.27, and Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) finished in 41st place in 28:27.60. SeattleU finished with 91 points, holding off third-place South Dakota (96 points) and fourth-place New Jersey Tech (99 points). Utah Valley easily won the team competition by placing five runners in the top eight, while Christian Baumbach of New Jersey Tech won the individual race in a time of 25:57.95, over 20 seconds ahead of his nearest competitor.
For the second time this season, Celeste Cassidy (Bellingham, Wash.) was the top finisher for the SeattleU women, crossing the finish line in 18th place in 24:24.32. Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) completed her first collegiate season with a 23rd place in 24:51.93, and Rachel Yorkston (Bellingham, Wash.) quickly followed her to the finish, placing 24th with a time of 25:00.33. Greta Stickney (Poulsbo, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 26th place with a time of 25:06.87, and Brittney Hovdenes (Rapid City, S.D.) finished in 28th place with a time of 25:21.85.
Freshman Jennifer Stolle (Seattle, Wash.) earned a 30th-place finish with a time of 25:38.55, and Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.) finished in 37th place in 26:15.96. Led by individual champion Mary Nothum, who posted a time of 22:16.49, Utah Valley easily won the team title with seven runners among the top nine.
Before the season started, the SeattleU men's and women's squads were each picked to finish fifth in voting by the conference coaches. With six of the seven men and five of the seven women eligible to return next year, the Redhawks will look to continue the improvement that has happened over the past several years within the cross country program.
The Seattle University cross country runners, after a little time off, will start to train for the indoor track season, set to begin in January. The track and field schedule will be released within the next couple of weeks.