Washington State sweeps podium positions and win Cougar Classic in Colfax...
In Colfax, Washington State's Brian Barsaiya (#620/photo courtesy WSU Athletics) took the victory at the Cougar Classic Friday afternoon at the Colfax Golf Club to lead the host team to the team title, as WSU runners took the podium positions in both the men's and women's races.
In its first race over the 8k distance, Barsaiya was the first of four Cougars across the line, running 23:42, with Kelvin Limo (#629) second (23:51), Micah Galeana third (24:25), and Kyle Ortega-Gammill fourth (24:28).
Leif Swanson in ninth (24:46) closed out the WSU scorers.
Gonzaga was led by Ansel Tucker in eighth (24:38), with Nicola DiMartino in 11th (24:52), Aidan Baughan 13th (24:56), and Will Thorsett in 15th (25:00) cracking the top 20.
Washington State scored a team low 19 points, with Idaho second at 65, and Gonzaga third with 73 points, despite not racing their top runners.
In the women's 6k, it was a 1-2-3 finish for the Cougs, as Neema Kimtai took the win in 20:34, with Caroline Jerotich second in 20:53, and Cristina Molteni third in 21:09.
Nicole Bissell was fifth for Washington State in 21:33, with Maya Nichols the fifth scorer in 19th at 22:43.
Gonzaga, which rested their top runners after racing last week at Pepperdine, was led by Anna Grabowski and Lucy Klebeck in sixth and seventh in 21:36, and 21:37. Maria Taggi was ninth in 21:48, while Kate Donaldson was 11th in 21:55, and Anika Jones finished 12th in 22:15 to close out the Bulldog scorers.
The Zags made the team race closer than it should have been, finishing second to Washington State, but in the end, the Cougars' four in the top five was enough to overcome Gonzaga's pack running, as WSU took the team title by a 30-45 count, with Idaho third at 55.
Washington State next races on September 29th at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana, hosted by Notre Dame. The Gonzaga men are in action on the 22nd when they head to Minneapolis for the Roy Griak Invitational, hosted by the University of Minnesota.
EASTERN MEN TAKE SECOND AT MONTANA INVITATIONAL...
In Missoula, Montana, Noah Hasselblad led Eastern Washington to a second place team finish at the Montana Invitational hosted by the University of Montana Friday morning.
Hasselblad was the Eagles' top finisher, crossing the line in seventh, covering the 8k course, which will host next month's Big Sky Championships in 24:46.
Cam McChesney in 14th (25:08), Evan Peters in 15th (25:10), Jesus Herrejon in 20th (25:24), and John Hoffer in 22nd (25:29) were the other scorers for Eastern Washington.
Led by Matthew Richtman's victory in 24:05, Montana State scored a perfect 15 to take the team title, with Eastern second with 78 points, just ahead of CSU-Pueblo's 81 points.
In the women's 5k race, the Eagles placed five runners inside the top 30 en route to a fourth place team finish with 81 points.
Nattie Ruzauskas led the way with her ninth place finish in 18:01. She was followed by Kaylin Sheley in 11th (18:14), followed by Madi Carr in 19th (18:23), Lilly Fetzer in 20th (18:25), and Jenni Bissell in 26th (18:35).
Kyla Christopher-Moody of Montana State led the Bobcats to the team title, winning the race in 17:09, as they scored 29 points.
Weber State, who Eastern will see again along with Montana State at the Big Sky championships next month, was second with 61, while CSU-Pueblo was third with 73 points.
SEATTLE PACIFIC AND CENTRAL WASHINGTON HEAD TO TACOMA FOR PLU INVITATIONAL...
Both Seattle Pacific and Central Washington will run their teams in Tacoma Saturday morning at the Pacific Lutheran University Invitational at the PLU Meadows course on campus.
The men's 8k gets underway at 11 am, while the women's 6k starts at 11:45 am.
The start and finish lines are located behind left-center field on the outside perimeter of the baseball diamond, next to the Columbia Center. It loops around grass and dirt trails on what used to be a golf course. It has a few gentle hills, but is mostly flat. Each loop is 2,000 meters, so the men will run it four times, and the women will go three.
The Falcons and Wildcats will get their first look at GNAC member Simon Fraser, which is opening their season in Tacoma.
NOTE: The sports information offices of Washington State, Gonzaga, Eastern Washington, and Montana contributed to this report.
paulmerca.blogspot.com may receive a commission for any purchases made from links clicked. Please support this site and our sponsors by clicking on the links. You can also support the site by clicking the yellow "Buy Me A Coffee" link below.
Comments