SEATTLE, Wash. – The Western Washington University cross country teams continued the early part of the 2019 season with each team sending five runners to the Emerald City Open raced on Saturday at Lower Woodland Park.
The No. 15 nationally-ranked women's team placed first out of four scoring teams, with all five runners placing in the top 10. Reigning GNAC Runner of the Week Jane Barr (Jr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt) earned her second 2nd-place finish of the season completing the 6,000-meter course in 23:27. JuniorTovah Swartz-Ireland (Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale) finished seven-seconds back of Barr to placed 3rd, while senior Tracy Melville (Lamont, WA/Sprague) was 5th (4th for scoring purposes) in 23:37.
The women's team won the four-team competition, scoring 24 points (2,3,4,6,9). The Vikings finished ahead of Club Northwest (34 points), Seattle Running Club (72 points) and Oiselle Running Club (96 points).
The No. 17 ranked men's team sent a small contingent to Seattle as well, with redshirt freshman Alec Ritter (Enumclaw, WA) leading the way with an 11th-place finish covering the 8,000-meter course in 27:42. Senior Bret Greene (Alameda, CA/Chabot College) was 19th in 28:12.
WWU finished 3rd with 78 team points, finishing behind Club Northwest (21 points) and the University of British Columbia (44 points).
WWU will be split next weekend with teams competing on Saturday, September 28 at both the Roy Griak Invitational in St. Paul, Minnesota and the Ken Garland Classic in Lacey on the Saint Martin's University campus. The annual WWU Classic will close out the regular-season portion of the schedule on October 12 at Sudden Valley Golf Course in Bellingham. The complete 2019 season schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com/XC.
WWU RESULTS AT EMERALD CITY OPEN
Here is a look at WWU's results from the 2019 Emerald City Open raced on Saturday at Lower Woodland Park in Seattle and hosted by Club Northwest:
2019 WWU CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
The 2019 WWU cross country schedule features five regular-season meets, followed by the GNAC Championships, NCAA II West Regional and the NCAA II Championships. Start times for all meets will be posted online at WWUVikings.com/XC when they are finalized. For the 2019 season, the women will race first and the men second at each meet.
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Date
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Meet
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Location
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Sept. 14 (Sat.)
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Central Washington Invitational
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Yakima, WA (Apple Ridge)
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Sept. 21 (Sat.)
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Emerald City Open
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Seattle, WA (Lower Woodland Park)
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Sept. 28 (Sat.)
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Ken Garland Classic
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Lacey, WA (SMU Campus)
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Sept. 28 (Sat.)
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Roy Griak Invitational
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St. Paul, MN (Les Bolstad Golf Course)
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Oct. 12 (Sat.)
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Western Washington Classic
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Bellingham, WA (Sudden Valley Golf Course)
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Oct. 26 (Sat.)
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GNAC Championships
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Billings, MT (Amend Park)
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Nov. 9 (Sat.)
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NCAA Division II West Regional
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Monmouth, OR (Ash Creek Preserve)
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Nov. 23 (Sat.)
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NCAA Division II National Championships
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Sacramento, CA (Haggin Oaks Golf Complex)
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Fans can follow WWU Cross Country online at WWUVikings.com/XC, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUTFXC), Instagram (@WWUTFXC) and Facebook (@WWUTFXC).
