Kevin McDermott leads Vikings to 3rd place finish at Lewis Crossover...
ROMEOVILLE, Illinois--In a meet that could have national implications down the road, the Western Washington men's team finished third at the Lewis Crossover Saturday morning.
The number 26 ranked Vikings scored 82 points, to finish behind team champion and number 9 ranked Colorado Christian's 47 points, and number 25 ranked Illinois-Springfield's 80 points.
Among the nationally ranked teams the Vikings beat included number 14 Michigan Tech, which finished fourth with 102 points, number 18 Alabama-Huntsville, which finished sixth with 146, and host & number 18 Lewis, which finished seventh with 178 points.
Western put three runners in the top 20 in the 8k race, led by Kevin McDermott's seventh place finish in 24:18. He was followed by Jeret Gillingham in 16th at 24:29, and Ryan Clough in 19th at 24:36.
Jared Aldenfer was 21st in 24:38, and Andrew Oslin was 22nd at 24:38, as the Vikings had a 1-5 split of 20 seconds.
Dayton Brown of Saginaw Valley took the individual title win 23:44.
The Viking women's squad, which entered the week ranked number 18 in the USTFCCCA national poll, finished sixth with a score of 178 points.
Number 14 Colorado Christian won the team title with 77 points, followed by number 13 Minnesota Duluth with 104.
Winona State, ranked number 16 was third with 113 points, followed by number 26 Saginaw Valley at 137, and number 15 Lewis with 144.
The Vikings had three runners in the top 50 in the 6k race, led by Sophie Wright's 23rd place finish in 22:27.
She was followed by Mia Crocker in 28th at 22:36, and Meaera Shannon in 39th at 22:52.
Alanna Parker was 55th at 23:13, and Evelyn Collins-Winn was 69th at 23:27, giving the Vikings a 1-5 spread of 1:00.
Lindsay Cunningham of Winona State won in 20:51.
Western Washington will complete its regular season schedule in two weeks against a national caliber field at the NCAA Pre-Nationals at Chambers Creek Park in University Place on the NCAA championship course.
In Lewiston, Idaho, both Gonzaga squads finished second to the University of Idaho at the Lewis & Clark State Invitational at the LCSC Cross Country Course Saturday morning.
The Zags ran a B squad in both races, as the University of Idaho swept the team titles, winning by a 17-57 count in the women's competition, and a 15-54 count on the men's side.
Central Washington entered teams in both races, finishing seventh in the women's race with 165, and fifth in the men's competition with 130.
Gonzaga placed two runners in the top ten in the men's race, led by Paul Talens in eighth place in 25:00 over the 8k course, and Sam Geiger in tenth in 25:11.
Ty Savely was Central Washington's top finisher in 25:22.
Anna Grabowski and Jasmine Nguyen of Gonzaga both finished in the top ten, with Grabowski ninth over the 5k distance in 18:00, and Nguyen tenth in 18:06.
Roșie Melville was Central Washington's top finisher in 29th at 20:00.
Idaho's Maya Kobylanski won the women's race in 16:35, and the Vandals' Lorenz Hermann won the men's title in 24:05.
NOTE: The sports information offices of Lewis University, Western Washington University, Lewis & Clark State, Gonzaga, and Central Washington contributed to this report.
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