The Seattle University cross country teams concluded the 2014 season by competing against some of the best squads in Division I at the NCAA Division I Cross Country West Regional Meet, held Friday at the Stanford Golf Course.
Coming off a conference title two weeks ago, the women’s cross country team finished in 18th place with 501 points, ahead of Pac-12 schools USC and Oregon State, former conference rivals Idaho and San Jose State, and West Coast Conference members San Diego, Pepperdine, Saint Mary’s, and Santa Clara. Oregon won the regional team title with 88 points, followed by Boise State and Stanford with 103 points each and Washington with 131 points.
"The ladies gave everything they had today. Unfortunately, not everyone was at 100 percent, but they all gave 100 percent of what they had. I couldn't ask for more from this group. This season was a turning point for our program and gives them a great foundation to build upon as we turn our focus to the upcoming track season," Seattle U head cross country coach Trisha Steidl said.
Taylor de Laveaga (Gilbert, Ariz.) was the first Seattle U runner to cross the finish line, finishing in 63rd place with a time of 21:33.9 over the six-kilometer course. Both de Laveaga and Sophie Curatilo (Honolulu, Hawaii) finished higher than any Redhawk female at previous NCAA Division I West Regionals, with Curatilo crossing the finish line in 65th place in 21:35.7.
Elena Smith (Seattle, Wash.) was next for Seattle U, finishing in 92nd place with a time of 22:01.6, followed by Lila Rice (Redmond, Wash.) in 107th place in 22:12.4. Moira O’Connor Lenth (Seattle, Wash.) finished in 184th place with a time of 23:22.4, ahead of Madison Davis (Camano Island, Wash.) in 223rd place in 24:53.6 and Rebecca Lassere (Boise, Idaho) in 228th place in 25:50.5.
"Taylor and Elena had particularly good races today. I could see it in their eyes each time they ran by me," continued Steidl.
The Seattle U men ended up in 24th place with 684 points, one spot higher than in 2013. The Redhawks finished ahead of Fresno State, Long Beach State, Portland State, Pepperdine, and San Diego. Oregon completed the regional sweep by winning the men’s event with 60 points, ahead of Portland with 71 points and host school Stanford with 97 points.
"This season was a great building point for the future of the men's team. We relied heavily on freshmen with no experience at this distance or this kind of race," said Steidl. "They went in with confidence, ran solid, and learned a ton. In a deeper field than last year, the men improved quite a bit, but I also know they want more."
Gus Arroyo (Portland, Ore.) made a significant improvement from last year’s regional meet, finishing in 85th place with a time of 31:09.8 over the 10-kilometer course. Ben Monk (Olympia, Wash.) completed a successful freshman season with a 146th-place finish with a time of 32:30.4, just ahead of teammate Baxter Arguinchona (Spokane, Wash.) in 147th place with a mark of 32:30.9.
"Gus ran a terrific race today. He put himself in a great position from the start and ran with focus and fire," added Steidl.
Chay Weaver (Louisville, Colo.) finished in 151st place with a time of 32:33.4, followed by Collin Overbay (Spokane, Wash.) in 163rd place in 32:48.1. Joe Charbonneau (Bellingham, Wash.) crossed the finish line in 179th place with a time of 33:25.6, with Matthew Seidel (Santa Clara, Calif.) finishing in 187th place in 34:04.4.
After taking some time off to recover from the cross country season, the runners will return to practice to prepare for the indoor track and field season, which begins on Jan. 17, 2015 with the UW Indoor Preview.