OLYMPIA, Wash. – Eastern Oregon University’s cross country teams paced all Cascade Conference members at the NAIA Region I meet here Saturday morning, finishing second on the men’s side and third in the women’s race.
Simon Fraser, a Region I independent, captured the team titles in both races.
For the Ben Welch-coached EOU teams, it was another set of strong performances; two weeks ago, the Mountaineers laid claim to the Cascade Conference men’s and women’s championships in the league meet held in Eagle, Idaho.
Five EOU runners finished in the top 20 of the 8K men’s race, led by sophomore Zach Heath, who finished ninth in a time of 25:46. He was followed by teammates Cam Starner (11th, 25:50), Troy Blackburn (15th, 26:01), Josh Ego (19th, 26:09), and Doug Benson (20th, 26:10). The Mountaineers posted a team score of 74 points, 28 points behind Region I champion Simon Fraser.
Concordia junior Eric Burck was the first Cascade Conference runner to cross the finish line, posting a time of 25:32 for a fourth-place finish. Lewis-Clark State senior Calin Hantau won the individual men’s crown with a time of 25:01.
The College of Idaho finished fourth overall on the men’s side with 92 points. Tyler Hopper was the top individual for the Yotes, posting a time of 25:37 for a seventh-place finish.
On the women’s side, Eastern had three runners finish in the top 25 on its way to a third-place team finish. The women’s 5K was dominated by Canadian independents Simon Fraser (25 points) and University of British Columbia (70 points).
Elizabeth Knudtson of Northwest University was the top individual from the CCC, finishing fourth overall in a time of 18:24. Three other CCC runners finished in the top 10, including Eastern’s Marcella Bosch (7th, 18:36), Corban’s Danielle Jordan (8th, 18:39), and College of Idaho’s Stephanie Helm (9th, 18:39).
Simon Fraser senior Kristen Kolstad led a 1-2-3 finish for the Clan, winning the event in a time of 17:46.
Other CCC teams in the top 10 included College of Idaho (5th, 133 points), Corban (6th, 146 points), Northwest (7th, 242 points), and Oregon Tech (8th, 277 points).
By winning the regional title in both meets, Simon Fraser captured the automatic bids to the NAIA national championship meets Nov. 17 in Kenosha, Wis. On Tuesday, teams and individuals selected as at-large entrants to the field will be announced by the NAIA national office.