SALEM, Ore.—In a field featuring almost a third of the teams in the NAIA top-25 poll, the Concordia men and women both placed inside the top 10 at the 36th annual Charles Bowels Invitational hosted by Willamette University on Saturday.

 

With eight Cascade Conference teams in attendance, the CU women placed seventh overall and third among CCC schools with 235 points. Victoria edged the NAIA’s top rated team from Biola 58-61 for the women’s championship. No. 12 ranked Southern Oregon scored a 188 to hold off No. 16 Eastern Oregon (200) by 12 points for the CCC supremacy. 

 

Victoria’s Julia Tschanz cruised to the win with a 17:26.41, a five-second gap over the runner-up from Biola, Kelsey Gasner (17:31.95). Eastern Oregon’s Karlee Coffee placed fourth overall with a 17:37.39 to lead CCC racers.

 

CU’s Alice Taylor was the second fastest CCC athlete with an 18:14.55 for 18th place. Finishing as CU’s second runner, Lauren Moran crossed in 40th place with an 18:45.23 while Junia Limage also cracked the 19-minute barrier with an 18:59.11 for 47th.

 

In her first race of the season, Andria Scheese placed 73rd with a 19:17.38 while Linsie Michels, in her second race of the year, finished with a 19:55.82 for 109th in the field of 239 harriers. Maggie Pesanti followed in the 123rd position with a time of 20:15.72.

 

Also competing for the Cavs were Kristina Cupp (182nd, 21:38.69) and Ellen Dexter (197th, 22:03.09).

 

“Overall, it wasn’t our best race. Not having our No. 2 runner, Sam Robert hurt us on the women’s side,” CU head coach Randy Dalzell said. “A couple of our runners got tripped up so that played a part as well, but it was valuable experience to run in a field that size.”

 

Behind a top-20 placing from Marcus Nelson, the CU men placed ninth overall out of 25 teams with a score of 215. Southern Oregon, ranked No. 2 in the NAIA, took the team crown with a meet-low 48 points. Victoria placed second with 105 and No. 6 British Columbia third with 119. The Cavaliers were the third-place team among eight CCC squads, behind the meet champion Raiders and fifth-place and No. 16 –rated Eastern Oregon (161 points).

 

Nelson, a sophomore, led the CU men’s team with a 15th-place result. Nelson was the fourth-best finisher from the Cascade Collegiate Conference after clocking a 24:41.49. Cory Pena and Cordero Cisneros ducked under the top 50 as Pena finished in 40th place with a time of 25:21.57 and Cisneros in 49th place with a 25:28.18.

 

Dylan Zitzer finished as CU’s No. 4 runner with a 26:03.34 for 95th place while Ben Foubert and Derek Woolsey battled for the fifth spot with Foubert crossing with a 26:39.89 for 135th place and Foubert one spot back with a 16:40.11. Zach Ginn rounded out the Cavalier competitors with a 27:38.28.

 

“Cory took a nice step up today and Marcus had another solid race,” Dalzell said. “He is becoming one of the leaders in the conference and he is starting to see himself in that light. The men raced better than last week, but will have to run even better to get into the mix of those top teams.”

 

Mike Kilburg, competing unattached, captured the men’s individual championship by covering the course in 23:39.57 while Southern Oregon’s David Laney took second place with a 24:13.11, edging Lewis-Clark State’s Dave Marks by .01.

 

Concordia returns to action on Oct. 16 when it hosts the CU/Puma Classic at Fernhill Park. Three weeks later, the Cavaliers will compete at the CCC Championships held in Klamath Falls, Oregon on Nov. 6.

 

“Our CCC meet is going to be a dogfight on both sides,” Dalzell said. “SOU looked like contenders for the national championship and will be tough to beat on the men’s side while there are a number of teams capable of winning the women’s conference title.”