2024 Cross Country Preview: Seattle University...
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| Returning runners Azalea Groleau (530), Grace Much (533) & Lilianne Hargreaves (531) in action at the 2023 NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento for the Redhawks. (Paul Merca photo) |
After a few years away from previewing the state's nine NCAA Division I and II cross country teams due to our emphasis on the late summer pro competitions, paulmerca.blogspot.com is posting the first of a series of snapshots of the state's teams.
We start with the Seattle University Redhawks, who are transitioning after the retirement of head coach Kelly Sullivan after the 2024 track season. Sullivan was replaced by his assistant, Jordana LeSavage, who is in her first year as a head coach at the NCAA Division I level.
With the Redhawks competing in the Western Athletic Conference for the final time before going to the West Coast Conference in 2025, there are a number of questions surrounding this team.
Based on the roster posted on their website, SeattleU appears to be stronger on the women's side.
They'll be led by junior Azalea Groleau, who was their top runner last season. Groleau finished 16th at the WAC championships, and 70th at the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento.
Also returning from last year's NCAA West Regional team are senior Lilianne Hargreaves (117th), and Diana Camargo Solis (217th).
The most significant addition to their team is senior transfer Alisha Saucedo from Saint Martin's.
Saucedo was eighth at the GNAC cross country championships, and 39th at the NCAA Division II West Regional championships.
There are a number of freshmen on their roster, so it remains to be seen whether they can improve from their sixth place finish at last year's WAC championship meet.
The men's group is coming off an eleventh place finish in last year's WAC championship and a 28th place finish in the NCAA West Regionals.
Junior Khalid Hirsi (183rd), senior Lance Mason (186th), grad student Alex Jensen (191st), senior Parker Wagnild (193rd) and junior Dan Barreto (199th) are all back from last year's team that ran at the regionals.
Hirsi is the top retuning runner from last year's WAC championships, where he was 63rd.
Their most significant roster addition is junior Osaze Demund-Williams (listed as Williams on the SeattleU roster, but Demund on the World Athletics database), who comes to the school from the University of New Mexico, where he was fourth at the Mountain Wast 800 indoors, and holds the national record indoors in the 800 for the US Virgin Islands.
Seku Sanders from O'Dea in Seattle, who was seventh in the Washington 3A 800, along with Kieran Anderson from Bozeman, Montana are the two key freshman additions.
Whether or not a year training together over the course of the last year, or a new voice in LeSavage will make a difference in the fortunes of the Seattle University program remains to be seen. If the Redhawk men can get out of the WAC's basement, that will be a win for the program.
SeattleU opens its season a week from Tuesday, September 3rd, when it faces off against the University of Washington in a dual meet at Magnuson Park.
Their most significant meets before the conference championship meet on November 1st are the Cougar Classic on September 13th in Colfax on the NCAA West regional course, where they'll face Gonzaga, Eastern Washington and host Washington State.
In addition to the Cougar Classic, the Redhawks will go to Santa Clara on October 19th to compete in the Bronco Invitational.
NOTE: The sports information department at Seattle University contributed to this report.
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