In terms of both performances on the course and garnering support within the Seattle University community, the Redhawk cross country team enjoyed a successful day Saturday morning as the 25th edition of the Emerald City Open took place at Lower Woodland Park.
In the women’s six-kilometer race, Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) finished fourth overall, crossing the finish line with a time of 22:19.5, just 18 seconds behind race winner Kimber Lemon of Club Northwest. Sophie Curatilo (Honolulu, Hawaii) was the next Seattle U runner to complete the race, finishing seventh in 22:27.0, followed by Hannah Mittelstaedt (Maple Valley, Wash.) in 11th place in 22:39.9.
Madison Davis (Camano Island, Wash.) finished in 15th place with a time of 23:03.3, followed by freshman Lila Rice (Redmond, Wash.) in 16th place with a mark of 23:06.7. Elena Smith (Seattle, Wash.) posted a time of 23:11.9 to cross the finish line in 18th place, just ahead of Taylor de Laveaga (Gilbert, Ariz.), whose 19th place finish in 23:12.8 was good enough to clinch a spot on the Redhawk team that will compete at the WAC Championships in two weeks at Jefferson Park Golf Course.
Jennifer Stolle (Seattle, Wash.) finished in 26th place with a time of 23:36.5, followed by team newcomers Moira O’Connor Lenth (Seattle, Wash.) in 32nd place in 23:54.3 and Amy Clawson (Mahomet, Ill.) in 35th place in 23:59.7. Emily Hedberg (Phoenix, Ariz.) was next for the Redhawks in 37th place in 24:12.2, with Meghan Arigo (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) in 41st place in 24:28.7 and Amy Tolentino (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) in 45th place in 25:19.5.
Rounding out the Seattle U squad, Lindsay Frederick (Seattle, Wash.) finished in 48th place in 25:33.7, just ahead of Haley Kruell (Portland, Ore.) in 49th place in 25:45.3. Rebecca Lassere (Boise, Idaho) battled an injury suffered during the race, crossing the finish line in 51st place with a time of 25:58.6. Against Portland State, the other Division I school competing as a team, the Redhawks won the meet, collecting 20 points against the Vikings’ 41 points.
Nathan McLaughlin (Puyallup, Wash.) finished as Seattle U’s top male runner, completing the eight-kilometer course in 26:14.1 to end up in 12th place overall. Graham Kinzel-Grubbs (Portland, Ore.) continually moved up throughout the race, eventually finishing in 16th place with a time of 26:25.2, followed by Caleb Herrera (Tucson, Ariz.) in 17th place in 26:34.5.
Gus Arroyo (Portland, Ore.) crossed the finish line in 20th place in 26:41.2, ahead of Tyler Flannery (Auburn, Wash.) in 24th place with a time of 26:54.5. Miles Hille (Woodinville, Wash.) finished in 28th place with a mark of 27:09.5, Ryan Dennison (Pacifica, Calif.) crossed the finish line in 33rd place in 27:26.9, and Conner Hayes (Mill Creek, Wash.) completed the course in 28:22.4 to finish in 41st place.
Colby Gilbert won the men’s race in 25:20.4, just ahead of Seattle U alum Matthew McClement, who finished the race with a mark of 25:25.4. Running unattached, Baxter Arguinchona crossed the finish line in 32nd place with a time of 27:24.7. As a team, the Redhawks earned a close victory over Portland State, collecting 27 points against the Vikings’ 28 points.
“I saw true competitive fire out on the course today. This is a great way to start the focus part of our season, and if we stay healthy and keep building upon what we put out there today, we're going to finish the season out in a very strong manner,” Seattle U head coach Trisha Steidl said.
Besides the meet being the 25th edition of the Emerald City Open, it was also the first-ever Pink Meet in Seattle U cross country history, as the Redhawks wore special white singlets with “Seattle U” in pink to help raise awareness about breast cancer research. Many fans attending the meet also wore pink apparel to show their support.
“The amount of support out there today, for the meet, our team, and breast cancer awareness was phenomenal. I cannot thank enough the teams who competed in this meet and showed their support as well as all the spectators who made today such a great event with an amazing energy. It was an electric morning at Lower Woodland Park,” Steidl added.
Those members of the Seattle University cross country team who did not clinch spots on the squad competing at the WAC Championships will race at the Beaver Classic at Avery Park in Corvallis, Ore., next Friday, Oct. 25, starting at 4 p.m. The Redhawks will then host the conference championships Saturday, Nov. 2, at Jefferson Park Golf Course starting at 9 a.m.