Thanks to four all-conference performances, the Seattle University women’s team finished in second place, while the men’s team earned a fourth place finish Saturday morning at the 2013 Western Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships at blustery Jefferson Park Golf Course.
In the women’s five-kilometer race, senior Lauren Hammerle (Seattle, Wash.) earned First Team All-WAC honors after a fourth-place finish with a time of 18:10.00. Hannah Mittelstaedt (Maple Valley, Wash.) picked up Second Team All-WAC recognition with an eighth-place finish in 18:25.60, as did Sophie Curatilo (Honolulu, Hawaii) after the junior finished in ninth place with a time of 18:27.60.
Lila Rice (Redmond, Wash.) earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors as well as Second Team All-WAC recognition after crossing the finish line first among the first-year competitors, outkicking Idaho freshman Ally Ginther for 12th place with a time of 18:44.20. Taylor de Laveaga (Gilbert, Ariz.) finished in 15th place with a mark of 18:57.80, followed by Madison Davis (Camano Island, Wash.) in 18th place in 19:04.10 and Elena Smith (Seattle, Wash.) in 20th place in 19:05.50.
With all five scoring women finishing in the top 15, Seattle U earned a strong second place standing with 48 points, behind only Idaho, as the Vandals won their fourth straight WAC title with 25 points, placing five runners in the top 10. Idaho’s Hannah Kiser repeated as conference champion by winning the race in 17:15.70.
“The women ran exactly according to plan and showed their experience. They were confident, aggressive, and tough out there today. They did a great job focusing on their goals and were rewarded for their efforts. I’m very pleased, but know we can still build off of today’s performance,” Seattle U head coach Trisha Steidl said.
Nathan McLaughlin (Puyallup, Wash.) was the top Redhawk finisher in the men’s eight-kilometer race, finishing in 16th place overall with a time of 26:20.20. Graham Kinzel-Grubbs (Portland, Ore.) was right behind McLaughlin in 17th place with a mark of 26:23.40, followed by Gus Arroyo (Portland, Ore.) in 24th place in 26:53.10.
Caleb Herrera (Tucson, Ariz.) put together a strong finishing kick, finishing in 25th place just one second ahead of Idaho’s Morgan Choate with a time of 26:54.90. Ryan Dennison (Pacifica, Calif.) crossed the finish line in 29th place with a time of 27:17.60, followed by Tyler Flannery (Auburn, Wash.) in 31st place in 27:40.10 and Miles Hille (Woodinville, Wash.) in 32nd place in 27:44.80.
The Seattle U men were able to hold off Texas-Pan American for fourth place in the team standings with 111 points. Utah Valley won the team title with 38 points despite Idaho finishing 1-2-3, including winner Nicholas Boersma with a time of 25:26.70.
“The men overall ran solid, but the lack of experience at this level showed,” Steidl said. “This is a good experience for them to grow from. I know they can put it all together in two weeks at the regional meet.”
Seattle University was the host school for the meet, and the athletics department came together to put on the Redhawks’ first WAC championship event. Everyone battled windy conditions that were unusual for the area, but all coaches and student-athletes seemed to come away pleased with how the meet was staged.
“I’d like to thank Lisa Nielsen (Seattle U Athletics Coordinator of Game Operations) and her crew for all their hard work, time, and energy. This was all new for her, and she did a great job. I also want to thank the officials for their work in putting on such a high quality meet. Finally, I want to thank Coach Uli (Steidl). He helped out a lot, particularly this week and the final days leading up to the meet. His help was invaluable in making this meet as great as it was,” added Steidl.
These members of the Seattle University cross country team will head to Sacramento, Calif., for the NCAA West Regional meet Friday, Nov. 15, at Haggin Oaks Golf Club. Those who did not compete in Saturday’s WAC Championships will head to Lower Woodland Park Sunday, Nov. 3, for the USATF Pacific Northwest Open Cross Country Championships, with the women’s six-kilometer race scheduled for 10:45 a.m. and the men’s 10-kilometer event set for 11:30 a.m.