Results

LAKEWOOD, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's cross country squad was back in action for the first time in 659 days on Saturday, finishing runner-up at the Puget Sound Invitational at Fort Steilacoom Park.

"It was so great to see the Lutes competing in cross country again," said Head Coach Adam Frye. "The season opener is always fun, but after the canceled 2020 season this was extra special. You could feel the joy and gratitude within the team today."
 
Ryan Stracke and Hezekiah Goodwin set the pace for the Lutes, finishing within one-tenth of a second in 10thand 11th overall. Stracke covered the 6,000-meter layout in 20 minutes, 2.0 seconds while Goodwin crossed the line in 20:02.1.
 
Owen Ladinig was 14th in his Lute debut, crossing the tape in 20:08.0 while Stefans Lusis was 15th in 20:09.0.Logan Werner was 17th in 20:18.0 followed closely by Erick Arcos in 18th (20:23.0), and Sam Zielke in 19th (20:27.0).
 
Trey Robak (21st in 20:40.0), Ethan Tucey (22nd in 20:46.0), and Daniel Samson (23rd in 20:46.1) all cracked the top 25 for the Lutes who headed into the meet ranked ninth in the West Region.

"It was really fun to see ten men running together through the halfway mark. Working together will be a great skill for us to have throughout the season with the depth of our men's squad."
 
Saint Martin University's Kainalu Pagente won top individual honors, winning the race in 19:03.0 to help the Division II Saints win the team title with 42 points. PLU was second amongst the five-team field with 57 points. Northwest Conference rival and host University of Puget Sound was a distant third with 75 points while D2 Seattle Pacific University was fourth with 89 points.
 
The Lutes return to action on Sept. 18, hosting the annual PLU Invitational.