Lexi Mitzel led the way for Corban in a solid showing at the Willamette Invite.
SALEM, Ore. – With one of the best overall performances in recent history, the Corban University women’s cross country team finished seventh out of 19 teams overall at the 41st annual Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational. The Warriors continued to show they can compete with the best, finishing as the third-highest placing Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) team at the meet out of six competing.
“It was a great effort from the women,” said head coach Norm Berney. “I think we have even more to give. Our younger runners will get better with more experience, and two of our top five were freshman, with one never having run a collegiate race before, so I was very excited about how they performed. “It was a feel-good effort and we are really excited about the potential of this team.”
Totaling 195 total points, the Warriors finished only behind Northwest Christian University, which won the race, and Oregon Tech, which took fifth. Both teams are ranked in the top-25 poll, with Northwest Christian ranking No. 2 overall.
Warrior senior Lexi Mitzel (Salem, Ore.) once again led the way for Corban with a season-best mark of 18:22.9, just missing out on her career-best time by about 10 seconds. She finished in 17th overall. Not far behind her was fellow senior Elizabeth Weber (Lacey, Wash.) with a time of 19:12.7, taking 41st overall.
Then, in her collegiate debut for the Navy and Gold, freshman Hannah Clarizio (Molalla, Ore.) shined, crossing the finish line as the third-fastest Warrior with a mark of 19:43.5 for 55th overall, while sophomore Kristen LaChapelle (Turner, Ore.) finished right behind her with a time of 19:46.2.
Rounding out Corban’s scorers was local freshman Annabel Guptill (Salem, Ore.), as she registered a finishing time of 20:00.1. She edged out fellow freshman Elizabeth Oosterhout (Tahoma, Wash.), who crossed the finish line in a time of 20:13.9.
For complete results, click here.
Corban takes a break from action before returning to the course at the Lewis & Clark Invite on October 17. Races are set to begin at 11 a.m.