It was a tough day of racing Saturday at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championships in Orem, Utah.
The Seattle University men’s and women’s teams both finished in third place, with the women losing the tiebreaker for second.
In the men’s 8K race, redshirt junior Nathan McLaughlin was the first Redhawk to cross the finish line with a time of 24:52.76, finishing 10th overall in a field of 53.
“Nate started strong and stayed that way the entire race,” head coach Trisha Steidl said. She went on to compare it to his “gutsy” performance in a previous meet this season.
McLaughlin’s finish places him on the WAC all-conference second team.
Gus Arroyo finished in 17th with a time of 25:16.62, with Tyler Flannery finishing right behind in 19th with a time of 25:19.42.
As the pre-championship poll predicted, Utah Valley finished in first place. UMKC was the second-place finisher.
Although disappointed in not reaching the lofty goals they had set out for the men this season, Steidl was still proud of her men.
“The guys ran strong and there’s no doubt in my mind each of them gave all they had today,” Steidl said. “I’m proud of the effort I saw out on the course today, and we will build upon this for the Regional meet.”
On the women’s side, the team finished the 5K tied for second, but lost the tiebreaker, putting them at third.
“It’s frustrating to lose a tie and it’s so easy to say, ‘what if,’ but the reality is they ran hard,” Steidl said.
Freshman Olivia Stein was the first from Seattle University to cross the finish line with a time of 18:23.25, finishing sixth overall in a field of 58. This puts her on the WAC all-conference first team.
“Olivia ran a smart, strong race,” Steidl said. “She has improved with every race this season. It’s been fun to see her progression and watch her confidence build along with it.”
Elena Smith and Lila Rice finished eighth and 12th respectively, placing them on the WAC all-conference second team. Smith ran a time of 18:24.31, while Rice finished with a time of 18:37.50.
Usually finishing first for the Redhawks, Rice went out aggressively in this race.
“Lila took a risk and went for the win,” Steidl said. “She ran gutsy and I’m proud of her for putting herself out there.”
Again, like the pre-championship poll predicted, Utah Valley finished first. The women had originally tied with UMKC for second.
“The women ran tough today,” Steidl said. “They gave every ounce they had and really battled out there.”
Next up, the team will be back in Seattle for the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 13, where the top seven runners from both the men’s and women’s teams will compete.
Other Redhawk Finishers –
Men: Baxter Arguinchona (25:33.76) finished 24th, Ben Monk (25:34.62) finished 25th, Matthew Seidel (25:43.19) finished 26th, Collin Overbay (26:05.88) finished 29th, Joe Charbonneau (26:08.48) finished 30th, and Chay Weaver (26:10.07) finished 31st.
Women: Moira O’Connor Lenth (18:55.72) finished 16th, Johanna Erickson (19:10.29) finished 24th, Lindsay Frederick (19:34.28) finished 33rd, Taylor de Laveaga (20:06.47) finished 42nd.