Oct. 8, 2016 Results | 
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BELLINGHAM, WASH. - Junior Isaac Derline won the men's 10,000-meter race in leading the Western Washington University men to a 4th-place team finish while the Viking women placed 7th in the women's 6,000-meter race at the 43rd Annual WWU Classic on Saturday morning at East Lake Padden Park.
Trinity Western University placed five runners among the top 15 to win the men's team title while the University of Alaska Anchorage women edged the Trinity Western women to earn the women's team title. Trinity Western's Regan Yee claimed the women's individual title with a time of 21:24.9, marking the fourth consecutive year a Trinity Western racer has won the women's individual title after Sarah Inglis of Trinity Western won the previous three races.
Derline (Jr, Kent, WA/Kentridge) became the first WWU men's individual champion since Jordan Welling took top honors for the Vikings in 2009. He crossed the finish line in a time of 31:13.2, finishing just over four seconds ahead of Joel DeSchiffart from Trinity Western in 2nd place (31:17.3).
"It was good - good to bring the win back to Western finally," Derline said. "Coaches gave us a plan of just sticking with the front pack (until) halfway through the race and then once you hit 5K, just start racing that second half and picking people off. It went right to plan."
Senior Matthew Lutz (Bremerton, WA) finished 6th for the Vikings with a time of 31:42.3 while senior Cody McCranie (Auburn, WA) was 27th in 32.37.7 and freshman Peter Butler (Port Angeles, WA) was 30th in 32.46.5 to give the Vikings four finishers among the top 30.
The WWU men, ranked No. 22 nationally in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll, totaled 98 points in 4th place, finishing just behind Simon Fraser University (94 points). Trinity Western (37 points) finished ahead of Alaska Anchorage in second place with 53 points. Alaska Anchorage won the men's team title in 2014 and 2015 before placing 2nd in 2016.
"As a whole, I think they ran pretty good," said 30th-year head coach Pee Wee Halsell of the WWU men. "..We had excellent races in Isaac Derline and Matthew Lutz - very good races, so that was exciting to see."
The No. 15-ranked WWU women were led by senior Brittany Grant (Port Townsend, WA), who finished in 17th-place (22.26.7). Junior Lillianna Stelling (Langley, WA/South Whidbey) crossed the finish line in 20th place (22.35.1).
Junior Sara Taferre (Vancouver, WA) placed 40th for the Vikings in 23:18.5 while junior Maddy Hutchison (Snoqualmie, WA/Mount Si) and freshman Peyton Shinnick (Maple Valley, WA/Mount Si) also finished among the top 50. Hutchison was 45th (23:23.0) and Shinnick finished 46th (23:23.5).
"We had some good races," Halsell said of the WWU women. "...It's still early and the intensity is pretty high and the mileage is starting to come down here in a week or so, and I think that will improve a lot of things."
Alaska Anchorage scored 76 points in winning the team title while Trinity Western finished with 81 points. The WWU women totaled 159 points in 7th place.
The Vikings will not race next week but return to Lake Padden Park for the 2016 GNAC Championships, hosted by WWU on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 10 am.
Here are the WWU women's results from the WWU Classic (finished 7th out of 16 teams):
**Denotes top 5 scoring racer
- Brittany Grant (Sr., Port Townsend, WA) - 17th place (22:26.7)**
- Lillianna Stelling (Jr., Langley, WA/South Whidbey) - 20th place (22:35.1)**
- Sara Taferre (Jr., Vancouver, WA/Skyview) - 40th place (23:18.5)**
- Maddy Hutchison (Jr., Snoqualmie, WA/Mount Si) - 45th place (23:23.0)**
- Peyton Shinnick (Fr., Maple Valley, WA/Tahoma) - 46th place (23:23.5)**
- Sophia Galvez (Fr., Los Alamos NM) - 52nd place (23:34.1)
- Talia Dreicer (Fr., Los Alamos, NM) - 54th place (23:38.0)
- Waverly Shreffler (Fr., Sequim, WA) - 56th place (23:39.4)
- Mikhaela Woodward (So., Sandpoint, ID) - 68th place (23:56.7)
- Sofia Marikis (Sr., Nine Mile Falls, WA/Lakeside) - 69th place (23:57.8)
- Alexandra Laiblin (Jr., Oak Harbor, WA) - 70th place (23:58.7)
- Hallie Whitley (So., Olympia, WA/North Thurston/Upper Iowa) - 81st place (24:19.9)
- Aundrea Koger (Fr., Osage City, KS) - 82nd place (24:20.9)
- Shawna Troupe (Jr., Kelso, WA) - 98th place (25:06.4)
- Abigail Milner (Sr., Nine Mile Falls, WA/Lakeside) - 103rd place (25:17.2)
- Molly McEachern (Jr., Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) - 113th place (25:44.8)
- Meghan Templeton (So., Burlington, WA/Burlington-Edison) - 115th place (25:53.1)
- Nicole Vijgen (Fr., Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) - 119th place (26:01.8)
- Katherine Tyburczy (Sr., Flagstaff, AZ) - 127th place (26:28.3)
- Maggie McManis (So., Davis, CA/Southern Utah) - 132nd place (26:39.2)
- Julian Johnson (Fr., Federal Way, WA/Federal Way) -- 134th place (26:48.1)
Here are the WWU men's results from the WWU Classic (team finished 4th out of 17 teams):
**Denotes top 5 scoring racer
- Isaac Derline (Jr., Kent, WA/Kentridge) - 1st place (31:13.2)**
- Matthew Lutz (Sr., Bremerton, WA) - 6th place (31:42.3)**
- Cody McCranie (Sr., Auburn, WA) - 27th place (32:37.7)**
- Peter Butler (Fr., Port Angeles, WA) - 30th place (32:46.5)**
- Andrew Wise (Jr., Denver, CO/East) - 48th place (33:18.2)**
- Cameron Freshwaters (Jr., Tacoma, WA/Stadium) - 55th place (33:30.5)
- Dylan Hayes (So., Seattle, WA/Garfield) - 59th place (33:35.0)
- Justin Irvine (Jr., Yakima, WA/East Valley) - 61st place (33:35.8)
- Logan Giese (Jr., Spokane, WA/Central Valley) - 79th place (34:00.4)
- Max Romey (Jr., Anchorage, AK/Robert Service) - 87th place (34:23.3)
- Liam Cossette (Fr., Spokane, WA/Ferris) - 93rd place (34:37.7)
- Ben Crowell (Fr., Puyallup, WA/Rogers) - 108th place (34:51.0)
- Colton Pulver (Fr., Wasilla, AK/Robert Service) - 118th place (35:10.4)
- Cory Johnson (Sr., Enumclaw/WA) - 130th place (35:42.7)
- Keaton Spiller (Fr., Vancouver, WA/Heritage) - 152nd place (36:50.5)
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