Portland, Ore. – Seattle U cross country took on University of Portland in a rainy early Sunday morning matchup. The Redhawks turned in some impressive performances, despite not having competed in over a year.
"Our number one goal today was to just get out there and remember what it feels like to compete," said Head Coach Kelly Sullivan. "University of Portland was a top 10-ranked program last year, making this a great test for our group. We are looking forward to getting back to Seattle to regroup with our teammates and push forward for a successful season."
The men's 7500m race kicked off first, with junior Lance Slichko leading the way for the Redhawks (9th overall) with a time of 25:05.6. Another junior Ansel Pendley-Griffin followed up Slichko with a time of 25:24.1 and rounding out the Redhawk's top three was freshman Lance Mason, coming in with a time of 25:26.2. Only five seconds later, junior Stephen Crocker crossed the finish line with a time of 25:31.1, while freshman Alex Jensen rounds out the Redhawk's top five with a time of 25:47.7. Freshman Jack Crowell and junior Devin Hasty concluded the Redhawks participation in this race, finishing with respective times of 26:30.6 and 27:52.1.
"It was nice to have Lance back out there since he had to miss all of last season," said Sullivan. "I was happy with how the group did considering this was not a typical race for us. This race was a lot different than what we would normally run on as the course went through Portland's campus. This included us running through muddy grass, on the sidewalk, and at some parts in the street. This made for a fun time because we got to do something we had not done before."
On the women's side, sophomore Emily Harris was just twelve seconds off the leaders pace, finishing with a time of 21:45.5 (3rd overall) in the 5600m race. Freshman Maya McCabe impressed in her cross country debut, finishing with a time of 23:29.
"Emily did a fantastic job today, probably her best cross country race ever," Sullivan said. "She has improved a lot in the past year and you could really see it in the confidence she ran with today. Also, this was Maya's first cross country race as she is normally more of a sprinter. I think it would have been difficult for me to get her out here this time last year but she looked like she really enjoyed it and that all that matters in the end."
"Our number one goal today was to just get out there and remember what it feels like to compete," said Head Coach Kelly Sullivan. "University of Portland was a top 10-ranked program last year, making this a great test for our group. We are looking forward to getting back to Seattle to regroup with our teammates and push forward for a successful season."
The men's 7500m race kicked off first, with junior Lance Slichko leading the way for the Redhawks (9th overall) with a time of 25:05.6. Another junior Ansel Pendley-Griffin followed up Slichko with a time of 25:24.1 and rounding out the Redhawk's top three was freshman Lance Mason, coming in with a time of 25:26.2. Only five seconds later, junior Stephen Crocker crossed the finish line with a time of 25:31.1, while freshman Alex Jensen rounds out the Redhawk's top five with a time of 25:47.7. Freshman Jack Crowell and junior Devin Hasty concluded the Redhawks participation in this race, finishing with respective times of 26:30.6 and 27:52.1.
"It was nice to have Lance back out there since he had to miss all of last season," said Sullivan. "I was happy with how the group did considering this was not a typical race for us. This race was a lot different than what we would normally run on as the course went through Portland's campus. This included us running through muddy grass, on the sidewalk, and at some parts in the street. This made for a fun time because we got to do something we had not done before."
On the women's side, sophomore Emily Harris was just twelve seconds off the leaders pace, finishing with a time of 21:45.5 (3rd overall) in the 5600m race. Freshman Maya McCabe impressed in her cross country debut, finishing with a time of 23:29.
"Emily did a fantastic job today, probably her best cross country race ever," Sullivan said. "She has improved a lot in the past year and you could really see it in the confidence she ran with today. Also, this was Maya's first cross country race as she is normally more of a sprinter. I think it would have been difficult for me to get her out here this time last year but she looked like she really enjoyed it and that all that matters in the end."