The Seattle University cross country team saw its first competition of the 2013 season, competing in the UW/SU Open Friday afternoon at Magnuson Park.
Hannah Mittelstaedt (Maple Valley, Wash.) led the Redhawk women, running with the lead pack for most of the three-mile race before crossing the finish line in second place in 17:07.35, 24 seconds faster than her time in this event last year. Sophie Curatilo (Honolulu, Hawaii) improved her time by 20 seconds, finishing in 11th place in 17:20.09, followed by Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) in 12th place with a time of 17:29.97.
Madison Davis (Camano Island, Wash.) saw an 18-second improvement, finishing in 16th place with a time of 17:45.07. Elena Smith (Seattle, Wash.) was the next Redhawk to cross the finish line with a time of 18:02.05, just ahead of Taylor de Laveaga (Gilbert, Ariz.) in 18:05.52, Lila Rice (Redmond, Wash.) in 18:05.90, and Meghan Arigo (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) in 18:07.60.
Moira O’Connor Lenth (Seattle, Wash.) completed her first collegiate race in 18:18.84, followed by Emily Hedberg (Phoenix, Ariz.) in 18:33.17, Rebecca Lassere (Boise, Idaho) in 18:40.21, and Jennifer Stolle (Seattle, Wash.) in 19:03.68. Amy Tolentino (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) was next with a mark of 19:21.91, ahead of Haley Kruell (Portland, Ore.) in 19:25.75, Lindsay Frederick (Seattle, Wash.) in 19:37.67, and Amy Clawson (Mahomet, Ill.) in 19:45.20.
“The women's team overall made a great improvement from last year. I'm happy with what I saw today. It's a good start for these ladies and a solid foundation to build upon,” Seattle U head cross country coach Trisha Steidl said. “As long as they stay on top of taking care of themselves, they have a shot at doing something impressive this season. They've got to stay focused and hungry and should always be looking forward.”
On the men’s side, Nathan McLaughlin (Puyallup, Wash.) finished 37 seconds faster than he did last year over the 4.5-mile course, crossing the finish line in 11th place in 22:44.93. Jeff Baklund (Auburn, Wash.) finished in 18th place with a time of 23:08.89, followed by Caleb Herrera (Tucson, Ariz.) in 19th place in 23:15.70.
Tyler Flannery (Auburn, Wash.) ended his initial collegiate competition in 22nd place with a time of 24:11.77, followed by Ryan Dennison (Pacifica, Calif.) in 23rd place in 24:21.13 and Miles Hille (Woodinville, Wash.) in 24th place in 24:22.63. Conner Hayes (Mill Creek, Wash.) finished in 25th place with a mark of 24:33.00, and Peter VanNuland (Newcastle, Wash.) crossed the finish line with a time of 24:50.51.
“We only had three men compete today that competed last year, which makes it difficult to judge where we truly are as a whole team. We were also missing some guys today who will be contributors later in the season. I know these guys have the ability to have a solid season. There is a lot of work to be done, and everyone needs to be taking good care of themselves. I'm positive that we're going to see a lot of improvement over the next several weeks,” said Steidl.
The University of Washington, one of the top cross country programs in the country, won both events, 25-31 on the women’s side and 17-40 on the men’s side. Several Huskies in both races ran unattached, as did Collin Overbay (Spokane, Wash.), who finished 12th in the men’s race with a time of 22:45.47.
Seattle University will have two weeks to prepare for the Sundodger Invitational, hosted by the University of Washington Saturday, Sept. 14, at Lincoln Park in West Seattle. The women’s six-kilometer invitational race for Division I teams is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m., followed by the men’s eight-kilometer invitational race at approximately 11:35 a.m.