The final spots on the Seattle University travel squad for the 2014 Western Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships were decided Friday afternoon as several Redhawks competed at the Beaver Classic, hosted by the Corvallis Running Project at Avery Park.
In the women’s six-kilometer race, Rebecca Lassere (Boise, Idaho) and Meghan Arigo (San Luis Obispo, Calif.) earned the final two spots on the squad heading to Edinburg, Texas, next weekend. Lassere finished in 46th place overall with a time of 24:32.6, followed by Arigo in 48th place in 24:35.5. Freshman Johanna Erickson (Edgewood, Wash.) challenged for one of the final spots, crossing the finish line in 49th place with a time of 24:37.8.
Haley Kruell (Portland, Ore.) finished in 71st place with a time of 25:45.9, and Alisa Poplawski (Newcastle, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 84th place in 27:10.8. As a team, Seattle University finished in eighth place with 214 points, with Portland State taking the team title by earning just 43 points.
Joseph Nakao (Sammamish, Wash.) was the top Seattle U finisher in the men’s eight-kilometer race, crossing the finish line in 45th place in 27:28.9. Nakao earned his spot on the conference meet travel squad, as did Chay Weaver (Louisville, Colo.), who finished in 50th place in 27:38.0, and Louis Rodrigues (Alameda, Calif.), who finished in 61st place with a time of 28:06.5. Miles Hille (Woodinville, Wash.) finished in 88th place in 29:28.0.
“I saw some very focused and determined racing out there today. That’s what we need to see every time we step on that starting line,” Seattle U head cross country coach Trisha Steidl said. “I believe our men and women are ready to take what they learned from these races and make some great things happen next weekend.”
The 18-member Seattle University cross country team heading to the WAC Cross Country Championships, nine men and nine women, will leave Thursday for Edinburg, Texas, and the conference championship meet hosted by UT Pan American. The event will take place Saturday, Nov. 1, at the Palm View Golf Course in McAllen, Texas, with the women’s race starting at 8 a.m. Central time (6 a.m. Pacific time), followed by the men’s race at 9 a.m. local time.