Oct. 22, 2007

Cross Country: Female Harriers Hope to Earn Regional Bid

THIS WEEK: The Pacific Lutheran cross country squad is competing at the Northwest Conference Cross Country Championships in Willamette Mission State Park, located in Brooks, Ore. Race day is Saturday, Oct. 27, the women’s race starting at 11 a.m. and the men running at noon.

Corrine Gogert

Kenneth Chilcoat

WOMEN’S NWC PREVIEW: The PLU women’s team heads into the NWC Championships with hopes of earning a bid to the regional meet. While any team in the conference can enter the regional meet, PLU athletic department policy says that the Lutes must place in the top five to make the trip. Willamette, Whitman and Puget Sound are the clear front runners going into the meet with the Bearcats hoping to take their sixth straight NWC title. Whitworth is also a team that could shake things up in to the top three. The Lutes will be in a battle for fifth place with Lewis & Clark, George Fox and Linfield. These four teams have been close to each other all season long. If the women’s team qualifies it will be the first team PLU has sent to the regional meet since 2002.

MEN’S NWC PREVIEW: The men’s team has not shared the same success as the women’s team this year. Seniors Ben Johnson and Michael Jorgenson have been sidelined by injury the past few weeks and are questionable this weekend. Senior Kenneth Chilcoat has been the top runner for the Lutes three out of the last four meets and will look to lead the Lutes again. Chilcoat was PLU’s top finisher at last year's NWC meet with a 35th-place finish.

BEAVER CLASSIC: Corrine Gogert placed 15th and Lexie Miller finished 21st to lead the Pacific Lutheran women to a fifth-place finish at the 2007 Beaver Classic Cross Country Race held last Saturday at Avery Park in Corvallis, Ore. Despite the terrible course conditions the Lutes were able to post some season-best performances. The University of Oregon finished first with 28 points and the Lutes were fifth in the 10-team event with 116 points. Gogert clocked 22:35 and Miller finished in 22:58, sparking PLU. Rounding out the top five finishers were Lauren McDonald, 34th in 23:29, Mary Wuest, 40th in 23:55, and Katie Choate, 52nd in 24:45. Oregon, ranked number one in the NCAA Division I Men's Cross Country Poll, was the men’s division winner. Running without two of their top three runners the Pacific Lutheran men finished last in their nine-team competition. Kenneth Chilcoat had the top PLU finish, placing 41st in a time of 26:57. Barrett Bollen and Mark Manske both turned in seasonal bests to finish second and third for the Lutes in 28:25 and 29:04 respectively. Chris Ramirez and Brad Denesen completed the top five in 30:14 and 30:45.