Results
CLAREMONT, Calif. -- The Pacific Lutheran University women's cross country team capped off its season on Saturday, racing to an 18th place team finish at the NCAA Division III West Region Championships held on the campus of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.
Sal Mattivi led the way for the Lutes, traversing the 6,000-meter course in 24 minutes, 44.4 seconds to place 84th overall.
Jessalyn Robles and
Mariel Robles were attached at the hip, finishing with a split second of each other.
Jessalyn Robles navigated the course in 25:32.2 to place 108th overall with
Mariel Robles landed 109th in 25:32.8.
Maddie Mitchell and
Piper Gannon were in hot pursuit, just a few places back. Mitchell entered the finisher's chute 113th overall in 25:38.4 while Gannon was 115th in 25:47.9 to round out the team's scoring five.
Natalie Moran-Padilla was 137th overall, crossing the tape in 27:06.1.
"While we were looking forward to some California sunshine this weekend, it appears that we brought some classic Pacific Northwest fall weather down with us. In my twenty years of running cross-country, I cannot remember a meet that had more standing water on the course. Our women's team's starting box was literally a small lake," said Head Coach
Francis Reynolds.
"The elements didn't deter the Lutes from going after it and mixing it up with some of the best runners on the West Coast.
Mariel Robles had the standout performance of the day and challenged herself to compete with runners she was nowhere near a month ago. It was great to see her cross the finish line almost side by side with her older sister Jessalyn. The pack running continued to be a successful strategy for the team, as the 64 second spread between our first and fifth runner was by far the smallest spread that we've had all season. Kudos to Natalie Moran Padilla and Madelyn Mitchell for battling through injuries for the good of the team."
Colorado College's Alison Mueller-Hickler won the race, crossing the finish line at Pomona-Pitzer College's Strehle Track in 21:28.0.
The Lutes finished 18th in the team standings, scoring 485 points, coming one-point shy of 17th-place University of Redlands and enjoying a 48-point gap on 19th-ranked University of La Verne. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges won the team title, scoring 33 points with four runners inside the top 10 while Colorado College was runner-up with 83 points. Pomona-Pitzer Colleges was third with a score of 102 while George Fox University was the top Northwest Conference institution, checking in at sixth with 152 points.
"I am proud of how both teams competed today in the adverse conditions, and am even more proud of the growth they have shown this season. I can't wait to continue working with them when track season starts up in January after two months of well deserved rest and recovery."
