SEATTLE – (Oct. 29) Lila Rice became an individual Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Cross Country Champion on Saturday.
Seattle University hosted the Championship meet at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle, Wash. On the very wet day, eight women’s teams and seven men’s team came to compete for the title.
The women’s team finished second in the 5k, powered by Rice, just five points short of the first place finish, which was claimed by pre-conference favorite Utah Valley. The men’s team finished third behind UMKC and Utah Valley in the 8k.
Rice had a great lead during the last part of the race, and beat the second-place finisher by almost 19 seconds with a time of 18:00.60.
Greeted by teammates and coaches at the finish line, Rice was enveloped with cheers and congratulatory hugs, a huge smile on her face.
The perfect way to cap off her senior year heading into NCAA West Regionals.
Head coach Trisha Steidl was obviously very proud of Rice.
“She ran a strong, confident race,” Steidl said. “It was wonderful to see her win her senior year, especially since she took a risk last year at altitude that didn't work out. This is nice redemption and a fantastic closing to her Conference racing.”
With that finish, Rice was named WAC Cross Country Athlete of the Year, as well as being named to First Team All-WAC.
Johanna Erickson (18:24.60) finished in seventh place, and was also named to First Team All-WAC. Olivia Stein (18:38.30) finished 10th, Moira O’Connor Lenth (18:43.40) finished 12th, and both were named to Second Team All-WAC.
“The women raced well today,” Steidl said. “Our realistic goal this year, since we graduated so many last year and had so many new folks this year, was to finish third. There are strong teams in our conference, and we don't take that lightly. The ladies brought their strength and grit today and it showed. I'm really proud of the fight and determination they showed today. If they race Regionals like they raced today, we could potentially have our highest team finish.”
On the men’s side, Ben Monk (25:33.10) was the first Redhawk to cross the finish line, and finished eighth. Monk was named to Second Team All-WAC.
“Ben tends to be strong at the end of the season where it really counts, and he continued that trend today,” Steidl said. “He looked strong, in control, and fired-up today. He ran with poise and gave all he had on the day. This bodes well for what he will bring to Regionals, too.”
Joining Monk on Second Team All-WAC were teammates Eli Boudouris (25:41.30), who finished 11th, and Jacques Hebert (25:49.50), who finished 13th.
“The guys ran a solid race,” Steidl sadi. “We knew going in that UVU and UMKC would be really strong, and they were…The guys are in a strong place, and we still have one more race. They will hopefully use this as motivation for Regionals. That's the big stage, and if we can finish the season out with a good, solid race there, that would be very meaningful.”
Both teams came into the meet with aspirations of Top 3 finishes, and they succeeded. They ran strong, and with Rice’s gutsy race, the solid showing by the women, and strong kicks by the men, they can be proud of their accomplishments at Conference.
But the season isn’t over yet.
Next up is the NCAA West Regionals, hosted by Sacramento State in Sacramento, Calif. on Friday, Nov. 11.
“The teams did well today, and we've set ourselves up to be ready to have a great race at Regionals in two weeks!,” Steidl said.