Five Seattle University runners finished in the top 20 to allow the Redhawk men to finish in second place, while an All-Conference performance by freshman Cara Talty (Raritan, N.J.) helped the women post a fifth-place finish at the 2010 Great West Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday morning at the Los Lagos Golf Club.
Erik Barkhaus (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) again led the way for the Seattle U men, finishing in third place in the 8k race in 24:03.77, earning First Team All-Conference honors along the way. Sophomore Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) crossed the finish line in eighth place in 24:23.17, and Matthew McClement (Bellingham, Wash.) finished in 14th place with a time of 24:48.71. Sears and McClement each earned Second Team All-Conference honors for their efforts, the second straight year McClement has been recognized in that way.
"To have three guys (Barkhaus, Sears, and McClement) earn All-Conference honors is fantastic and we had two more guys who were right on the cusp. That's what it takes to reach the goals we set for our season. We've shown that we are strong. That will feed into our upcoming track seasons as well," head coach Trisha Steidl said.
Hans Heitzinger (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and Michael Van Nuland (Newcastle, Wash.) came in right behind McClement, with Heitzinger finishing in 15th place in 24:50.51 and Van Nuland earning a 16th-place finish with a time of 24:52.09. Adam Kollgaard (Kent, Wash.) finished in 29th place in 25:31.91, and Jeff Baklund (Auburn, Wash.) earned a 31st-place finish to cap off his initial collegiate season with a time of 25:36.64.
As a team, Seattle University finished with 56 points, well ahead of third place finisher Texas-Pan American. With four runners in the top ten, Utah Valley won the conference title with 34 points, with Wolverine runner Josh McCabe earning the individual title with a time of 23:49.06.
"The men had a phenomenal race this morning. They worked hard all season and made it come together on the day we needed it most," said Steidl. "Watching them, it was obvious they were putting everything they had into this race. I'm proud of the hard work they put in over the summer and this season along with the tenacity they approached this season with as a whole, with their focus on the conference meet. They came together when it was 'go time' and the results speak for themselves."
In her first conference championship competition, Talty maintained her position as Seattle U's top female runner this season, crossing the finish line in seventh place with a time of 17:20.26 over the 5k course. She was rewarded for her efforts with First Team All-Conference honors.
"Cara had a great race this morning. I'm proud of the fight she put up in the race today and thrilled that she earned All-Conference honors, especially as a freshman," Steidl said.
Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) was the next Seattle U runner to finish the race, crossing the finish line in 20th place with a time of 17:57.31. Celeste Cassidy (Bellingham, Wash.) finished in 23rd place with a time of 17:58.43, followed closely by Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) in 24th place in 18:00.96 and Hannah Mittelstaedt (Maple Valley, Wash.) in 27th place in 18:08.73. Allison Prather (Carpinteria, Calif.) finished in 53rd place in 19:22.54, and Ashley Dalton (Bellingham, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 59th place in 20:02.90.
The Seattle University women collected 90 points, just one point more than South Dakota to finish in fifth place behind the Coyotes. Utah Valley easily won the team competition with 39 points, while North Dakota's Lindsay Anderson earned the individual title after finishing the course in 16:46.31.
"The women ran strong races this morning. You could see it on their faces that they were working for every point. It's frustrating to be so close to the few teams that were right ahead of us and to lose by a heartbreaking one point to South Dakota," Steidl remarked. "At the same time, we showed a lot of growth and strength in our women's team this season. I know the ladies will use this as motivation as we move into track and particularly cross country next year. We had a very good season this year and will continue to build upon the positive work we've done as we continue into track."
After taking some much-needed time off, the Seattle University distance runners will begin preparing for the indoor track season, which will culminate with the 2011 Great West Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, hosted by NJIT Feb. 27-28, 2011.