"The men and women both looked stronger than they did in the (intrasquad) time trial, which is great. It's good to see that type of improvement in such a short span of time. Because they have been learning since the start of practice, they have been getting stronger every week," head coach Trisha Steidl said.
Hannah Mittelstaedt (Maple Valley, Wash.) led the Seattle U women, finishing 11th overall with a time of 17:39. Jennifer Stolle (Seattle, Wash.) finished 15th in 18:09, with Sarah Bolce (Sacramento, Calif.) right behind her in 16th in 18:10. Freshman Meghan Arigo (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) posted a time of 18:49, followed by classmates Madison Davis (Camano Island, Wash.) in 19:43 and Sophie Curatilo (Honolulu, Hawaii) in 19:54.
In her first career race, Amy Tolentino (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) posted a time of 20:33, with Mary Thompson (Simi Valley, Calif.) finishing right behind her in a time of 20:36. Haley Kruell (Portland, Ore.) posted a time of 21:36, and Meghan Manwill (Eugene, Ore.) finished the course in a time of 22:54.
"Hannah was great. She had a really strong summer, being consistent with her training, and it has shown so far this year," said Steidl. "Some of the other girls stepped it up today, and that was good to see."
On the men's side, freshman Collin Overbay (Spokane, Wash.) put together a strong finish to be the Redhawks' top finisher with a time of 23:07, good enough for 14th place. Graham Kinzel-Grubbs (Portland, Ore.) crossed the finish line in 16th place with a time of 23:11. Kelton Sears (Maple Valley, Wash.) posted a time of 23:36, while Peter VanNuland (Newcastle, Wash.) finished with a time of 23:41.
Newcomer Miles Hille (Woodinville, Wash.) traversed the course in a time of 24:00, followed by Chris Auld (Eugene, Ore.) in 24:19 and Dan Auld (Eugene, Ore.) in 24:27. Keenan Clinch (Sammamish, Wash.) finished the race in 24:29, and Kevin Kopetz (Derry, N.H.) posted a time of 24:56.
"Collin had a good performance, especially for it being his first one, so we will see what this means for the rest of the season. He was in control for most of the race, so it was good to see him live up to what he is capable of," Steidl said.
The Seattle University cross country team will next compete at the UW Sundodger Invitational Saturday, Sept. 17, at 10 a.m. at Lincoln Park in West Seattle.