BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's and women's cross country program hosted the 45th Annual WWU Classic on Saturday at Sudden Valley Golf Course in Bellingham.
 
The 19th-ranked men's team placed 3rd with 94 points, trailing only No. 8 Simon Fraser (40 points) and Alaska Anchorage (51 points), and edging 17th-ranked Colorado-Colorado Springs. The Vikings were led by a 9th-place overall finish by sophomore Eric Hamel (Enumclaw, WA), who finished the 10,000-meter course in 32:18. Redshirt sophomore Ed Kiolbasa (Stillwater, MN/Stillwater Area/North Dakota) finished 20th in 32:56, with WWU's top five runners all placing in the top 30.
 
"I thought the men raced very aggressively today and had some great performances," said WWU head coach Pee Wee Halsell. "They were determined from the start of the race, made up ground in several spots and overall had a great day."
 

WWU Men's Results (10K)
9.	Eric Hamel	32:18
20.	Ed Kiolbasa	32:56
24.	James Jasperson	33:03
26.	Kyler Sager	33:07
27.	Liam Cossette	33:13
32.	Dylan Hayes	33:20
35.	Nick Mounier	33:29
40.	Colton Hoggarth	33:40
41.	Jesse Wiley	33:42
45.	Peter Butler	33:45
60.	Isaac Derline	34:18
64.	Jackson McIlroy	34:26
72.	Macauley Franks	34:32
103.	Bret Greene	35:42
107.	Ben Crowell	35:50
112.	Dario Cirlincione	36:08
115.	Anthony Meza Santos	36:17
138.	Wilson Turk	37:54

The 14th-ranked women's team placed 4th among the seven college teams that raced with 101 points, trailing only No. 10 Simon Fraser (71 points), No. 8 Alaska Anchorage (76 points) and No. 12 Seattle Pacific (96 points). The Vikings were led by a 16th-place overall finish and 7th among collegiate runners by freshman Rebecca Lehman (Spokane Valley, WA/University), who finished the 6,000-meter course in 22:23. Junior Sophia Galvez (Los Alamos, NM) was 20th overall (10th among college runners) finishing in 22:28. Overall the Vikings had six runners in the top 20 among collegiate runners in the race.
 
"The women raced hard and had some good performances," added Halsell. "They will continue to build up and I am confident they will have their best races of the season when they really count at the GNAC Championships and regional meet."
 

WWU Women's Results (6K)
16.	Rebecca Lehman	22:23
20.	Sophia Galvez	22:28
26.	Tracy Melville	22:40
28.	Shawnee Konrad	22:48
31.	Jane Barr	22:55
34.	Aundrea Koger	23:01
46.	Peyton Shinnick	23:27
49.	Talia Dreicer	23:29
50.	Brook Wedin	23:31
71.	Maria Rivera Valles	24:35
77.	Hannah Madsen	24:48
97.	Annika Taylor	26:30

The 45th Annual WWU Classic was raced at Sudden Valley Golf Course, after being hosted for several years at Lake Padden Park.
 
"We really enjoyed coming out to Sudden Valley Golf Course and appreciate all they did to accommodate this great event to make for a wonderful student-athlete experience. The weather was great, the course was great, the racing was great. It was a good day for the Vikings," said Halsell.

  The Vikings will now prepare for the GNAC Championships that will be held November 3 in Monmouth, Oregon, hosted by Western Oregon University at Ash Creek Reserve. The NCAA Division II West Regional follows on November 17 at Amend Park in Billings, Montana.
 
Here is a look at the 2018 WWU Cross Country schedule. Times and more detail on each event can be found online atWWUVikings.com/XC:
 

DATE	MEET	PLACE
Sept. 15 (Sat.)	Central Washington Invitational	Ellensburg, WA (Rotary Park)
Men: 1st, Women: 2nd (Meet Results)
Sept. 22 (Sat.)	Ken Garland Classic	Lacey, WA (Saint Martin's Campus)
Men: 1st, Women: 1st (Meet Results)
Oct. 6 (Sat.)	Division II Conference Crossover	Romeoville, IL (Lewis Cross Country Course)
Men: 8th, Women: 4th (Meet Results)
Oct. 6 (Sat.)	Emerald City Open	Seattle, WA (Lower Woodland Park)
Men: 2nd, Women: 2nd (Meet Results)
Oct. 20 (Sat.)	45th Annual WWU Classic	Bellingham, WA (Sudden Valley Golf Course)
Men: 3rd, Women: 4th (Meet Results)
Nov. 3 (Sat.)	GNAC Championships	Monmouth, OR (Ash Creek Preserve)
Nov. 17 (Sat.)	NCAA Division II West Regional	Billings, MT (Amend Park)
Dec. 1 (Sat.)	NCAA DII Championships	Pittsburgh, PA (Cooper's Lake Campground)

  Fans can follow WWU Cross Country online at WWUVikings.com/XC, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUTFXC), Instagram (@WWUTFXC) and Facebook (@WWUTFXC).