ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Western Washington University cross country programs made a strong statement Saturday with its performance at the Lewis Crossover.

 

The meet hosted by Lewis University featured 13 nationally top-30 teams in the men's 8K and 10 nationally-ranked programs in the women's 6K, with the Vikings listed No. 11 in both the men's and women's USTFCCCA national coaches rating index.

 

The Viking men made the biggest statement Saturday placing 2nd out of 36 teams with a team score of 123, featuring all five scoring runners in the top 40 of collegiate runners in the field of 341 racers. No. 11 WWU finished behind No. 3 and three-time national champion Colorado School of Mines with a team score of 62. The Vikings were well ahead of third-place No. 18 Colorado Christian (194), No. 10 Lewis (200), No. 16 Biola (202) and No. 4 Grand Valley State (286).

 

Senior Kevin McDermott led the Vikings placing 9th overall and 8th among collegiate competitors with a time of 24:12.10. Senior Ryan Clough – who did not race in the Bill Roe Classic with the Vikings finishing behind Chico State – returned to the lineup with a personal-best performance of 24:16.79 placing 12th.

 

Sophomore Jared Alderfer (30th, 24:33.97), junior George Karamitsos (33rd, 24:35.22) and redshirt freshman Sten Brakstad (40th, 24:39.57) rounded out the Vikings five scoring runners to give the team a boost with strong national qualification implications placed on this meet.

 

The Viking women went against top national competition as well placing 6th with a team score of 237. Entering the race ranked No. 11 nationally and No. 1 in the West Region, WWU finished behind No. 5 Colorado School of Mines (69), No. 6 Lewis (114), No. 2 Grand Valley State (157), No. 4 Augustana (188) and No. 19 Alaska Fairbanks (200). The Vikings and Nanooks will square off in two weeks at the GNAC Championships on October 26 at Sudden Valley Golf Course in Bellingham.

 

Junior Ashley Reeck led the Vikings once again with a strong performance placing 32nd overall and 30th in scoring in at time of 21:54.17. Senior Sophie Wright was 42nd (40th in scoring) in 22:06.73 and sophomore Ella Edens placed 50th (48th in scoring) in 22:13.04. Seniors Emma Smith (59th, 22:18.39) and Ila Davis (64th, 22:23.18) rounded out the Vikings scoring five runners.

 

WWU also competed Saturday at the Emerald City Open at Lower Woodland Park in Seattle, with results and a full recap posted on WWUVikings.com Saturday afternoon.

 

Here is a look at the top-10 team scoring from the Lewis Crossover held Saturday at the Lewis XC Course in Romeoville, Illinois (suburb of Chicago). The men's team placed 2nd out of 36 teams with a team score of 123 (five in top 40) and the women were 6th out of 36 teams with a team score of 237 (3 in top 50):

 

 

Here is a look at the men's results from the 8K for the Viking men at the Lewis Crossover:

 

 

Here is a look at the women's results from the 6K ace for the Viking women at the Lewis Crossover:

 

 

Both the WWU men's and women's cross country programs hold regional and national rankings in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) polls:

 

• WWU Women: No. 1 in West Region, No. 11 in NCAA II, No. 12 in FloTrack
• WWU Men: No. 2 in West Region, No. 11 in NCAA II, No. 18 in FloTrack

 

WWU is off next weekend as they prepare for the postseason with the 2024 GNAC Cross Country Championships held October 26 at Sudden Valley Golf Course. WWU is the two-time defending champions in the event on both the men's and women's side. Racing begins at the GNAC Championships at 10 am with the men's 8K, followed by the women's 6K at 11 am. More information is available at GNACSports.com.

 

The Vikings have swept the last two GNAC Cross Country Championships, with both the men and women's teams taking the top podium spot in 2022 (Monmouth, OR) and 2023 (Anchorage, AK). WWU hosts this year's edition of the GNAC Championships October 26 at Sudden Valley Golf Course. Dating back to 2019, Western has swept three of the last four GNAC titles in cross country (2019, 2022, 2023).  

 

The 2024 WWU cross country schedule features four 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. 

 

 

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