Bearcat Men Win Willamette Grass Course Meet

By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University men's cross country team took first place at the WU Grass Course Meet on Friday, Sept. 18 at Bush's Pasture Park, as the Bearcats claimed five of the top six finishes. Chris Reed from Western Oregon University earned first place in the individual standings, but the next five runners to reach the finish line were from Willamette.

Matt Parker (Jr., Portland, OR/Lincoln HS) was Willamette's top finisher, as he took second place with a time of 22:46.76 for the 7,085-meter course. He completed the race roughly 10 seconds behind Reed, who registered a winning time of 22:36.32. Leo Castillo (So., Parkdale, OR/Hood River Valley HS) of Willamette was third in 22:53.42.

"Matt's really running well," Willamette Head Coach Matt McGuirk said. "It's nice to see."

WU's winning score was 20 points, while Western Oregon placed second with 44 points. George Fox University was third at 91 and California Lutheran University was fourth at 96.

Stefan Redfield (Jr., Sisters, OR/Sisters HS) of WU placed fourth at 23:06.56. Nick Rebol (Jr., Cottonwood, CA/Red Bluff Union HS), also from Willamette, was fifth with a time of 23:16.18. Completing WU's 2-3-4-5-6 finish was Kevin Aubol (Fr., Ellensburg, WA/Ellensburg HS) at 23:18.55.

Kyle Jackson (So., Springfield, OR/Marist HS) of WU was eighth in 23:26.04. Willamette's Ryan McLaughlin (Jr., Milwaukie, OR/Milwaukie HS) placed 11th at 23:36.84.

In the women's race, Western Oregon achieved the team title with a score of 25. Willamette took second place at 37 points, with California Lutheran in third at 78 and George Fox in fourth at 104.

Amanda Wright of WOU was the individual winner in the women's 5-kilometer race. She recorded a time of 19:32.36 to win by 13.49 seconds over teammate Tricia Morrison, who clocked in at 19:45.85. Janelle Everetts of WOU completed a 1-2-3 finish by taking third in 19:48.12.

Toccoa Kahovec of California Lutheran placed fourth with a time of 1:52.90, less than a second in front of Amanda Tamanaha (Fr., Honolulu, HI/St. Andrews Priory School) of Willamette. Tamanaha was timed at 19:53.79 in fifth place.

WU also took the next three places. Alisha Till (Fr., Richland, WA/Richland HS) was sixth after crossing the finish line in 19:56.02. Kaitlin Greene (So., Pullman, WA/Pullman HS) was seventh at 20:00.62 and Hannah Vietmeier (Sr., Shoreline, WA/Shorewood HS) was eighth at 20:15.54.

Erynn Rebol (Fr., Cottonwood, CA/Red Bluff Union HS) of Willamette was 11th with a time of 20:37.16. Teammate Megan Horning (Jr., Page, AZ/Page HS) was 12th in 20:45.14.

"The (Willamette) kids ran great. They competed well," McGuirk said. "It was a great start on a nice day. The other teams loved the course. They all said they'd be back."

There were 52 entries in the men's race. The women's race featured a total of 36 runners.

Men's Team Scores:

Willamette 20 (2-3-4-5-6)
Western Oregon 44 (1-7-10-12-14)
George Fox 91 (9-19-20-21-22)
California Lutheran 96 (13-17-18-23-25)

Women's Team Scores:

Western Oregon 25 (1-2-3-9-10)
Willamette 37 (5-6-7-8-11)
California Lutheran 78 (4-13-17-19-25)
George Fox 104 (18-20-21-22-23)