LAKEWOOD, Wash. – The Western Washington University cross country program opened the 2024 season with a strong showing at the Gator Cross Saturday at Fort Steilacoom Park.

 

The No. 9 nationally-ranked Viking women and the No. 12 men both placed 2nd behind NCAA Division I University of Portland.

 

The defending West Region champion women's team finished with a team score of 50.0 with the top five racers in the top 13. Senior Sophie Wright led the Vikings placing 7th with a time of 13:34.5 on the 4K course, followed closely by senior Ila Davis in 9th (13:37.2) and junior Ashley Reeck in 10th (13:38.6). Junior twins Alanna Parker and Alexis Parker rounded out WWU's scoring runners. Portland, ranked No. 6 in the NCAA I West Region, won the event with a team score of 25 and a winning performance by freshman Juliette Forstrom in 13:06.1.

 

The Viking men also placed 2nd behind No. 16 nationally-ranked Portland (No. 2 in West Region) with 79.0 total points. The Pilots recorded a perfect score of 15.0 led by Nate Lantz completing the 6K course in 17:19.9.

 

Western was led by redshirt freshman Sten Brakstad who finished 12th in 17:48.1. He was followed by sophomore Jared Alderfer, the 2022 GNAC Freshman of the Year, placing 13th overall in 17:53.9. WWU's scoring runners finished in a pack with seniors Jeret Gillingham (18:01.2), Ryan Clough (18:02.0) and George Karamitsos (18:04.8) placing in the top 20.

 

"It's always great to get the team out for the first competition of the season," said WWU cross country coach T.J. Garlatz. "The team ran hard and we are proud how they started the season after a lot of hard training in the preseason. This was a good step towards our home meet in two weeks."
 

 

WWU hosts the Bill Roe Classic September 28 at Hovander Park in Ferndale. This season marks the 50th edition of the WWU Classic and fourth in honor of the late Bill Roe, a longtime WWU assistant coach and former president of USA Track and Field Bill Roe, who passed away unexpectedly in 2020.

 

Here is a look at the final team scoring from the season-opening Green River Gator Invitational held at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood. WWU finished 2nd in both races behind the University of Portland. The women led off the meet running a 4K and the men raced a 6K.

 

 

Here is a look at the men's results from the 6K season-opening race for the Viking men at the Gator Invitational at Fort Steilacoom Park. WWU recorded a team score of 79.0 to place 2nd among 13 scoring colleges, trailing just No. 16 nationally-ranked University of Portland:

 

 

Here is a look at the women's results from the 4K season-opening race for the Viking women at the Gator Invitational at Fort Steilacoom Park. WWU recorded a team score of 50 to place 2nd among the eight teams that fielded a full lineup.

 

 

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. 9 in NCAA II
• WWU Men: No. 2 in West Region, No. 12 in NCAA II

 

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).