SPRINGFIELD, ORE. - Seattle U cross country finished their second meet of the season on Friday at the Dellinger Invitational in Springfield, Ore., hosted by the University of Oregon. On a clear and sunny day at the Springfield Golf course, the men’s team ran an 8k loop, while the women ran a 6k.
For the men, sophomore Nathan Pixler again led the Redhawks with a time of 25:47.2, followed by senior Cal Davidson-Turner at 26:04.6. Seniors Jacques Hebert and Ben Monk finished third and fourth for Seattle U with times of 26:17.5 and 26:22.5, respectively. Sophomore Kyle Kennedy (26:29.5), freshman Alex Franklin (26:33.5) and senior Eli Boudouris (26:49.2) rounded out the scorers for the team. Four other men ran for the Redhawks: freshman Ansel Pendley-Griffin (27:09.8), sophomore Lance Slichko (27:38.4), freshman Stephen Crocker (27:54.6), and senior Evan Talan (28:05.9).
The men raced against fierce competition such as third-ranked Portland, eighth-ranked Oregon, and UC Davis, as rated by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).
On the women’s side, sophomore Megan Delorey finished first for Seattle U in the 6k, turning in a time of 22:21.6. Behind her were sophomore Rachel Kastama, who completed the race with a time of 22:40.3, and freshman Ellie Postma, who ran the course in 22:47.3. Junior Shannan Higgins finished with a time of 22:55.0, while freshman Marie-Therese Chahrouri followed with 23:27.1. Junior Thea Foulk (23:37.0) and sophomore Elle Stein (23:48.6) also scored for the Redhawks, while freshmen Abby Smith (24:34:6) and Adahra Poasa (26:02.4) got some good experience in their second collegiate meets.
The women’s field contained runners from fourth-ranked Oregon, 28th-ranked Portland, UC Davis, and Nevada.
“We’re very pleased with our performance today,” said Head Coach Kelly Sullivan. “Both the men and the women competed very hard. This meet was a good introduction for them to compete against some of the best teams in the country. I loved how they weren’t hesitant to go head-to-head with these schools. We’re headed in the right direction, and we’re going to keep working hard.”
Next up, Seattle U heads to Sunnyvale, Calif., for the Santa Clara University-hosted Bronco Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 13.