By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
ARCATA, Calif. -- Zoe Heino (Fy., Portland, OR/Mountainside HS) led Willamette University by placing ninth in the 6-kilometer women's race, and Jay Chew (Fy., Elk Grove, CA/Laguna Creek HS) topped the Bearcat men's team with 12th place (10th among scorers) in the 8-kilometer men's race, at the Jim Hunt Humboldt Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 17. Willamette took third place in the women's team standings and also placed third in the men's team standings.
Heino registered a time of 23:47 in the women's competition. Jacie Chatham (Fy., Jackson, Wyoming/Jackson Hole HS) of WU earned 10th place in 24:41 and Anna Bikle (Fy., Woodside, CA/Half Moon Bay HS) was 12th at 25:09. Aven Roberts (Fy., Missoula, MT/Hellgate HS) finished in 14th place at 25:14. Also competing for Willamette were Grace Kosmicki (Fy., Pocatello, ID/Highland HS) who was timed at 25:31, Leila Fischer (Jr., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS) at 25:50, Leilani Luu (Fy., Colorado Springs, CO/Pine Creek HS) at 26:06, and Melissa Duncan (Jr., Canyon Country, CA/Canyon HS) at 26:59.
In the men's competition, Chew completed the race in 26:51. Gilbert Sanchez-Torres (Fy., Citrus Heights, CA/Buena Vista HS) was 14th in 27:28. William Hennum (So., Philomath, OR/Liberty HS, NV) placed 16th at 28:07 and Roscoe McDonald (Sr., Seattle, WA/Ballard HS) was timed at 28:07 while placing 17th. Also running for the Bearcats were Joshua Evans (So., Lafayette, CA/Acalanes HS) in 28:52 and Ian Curtis (Sr., Eugene, OR/South Eugene HS) in 29:45.
Southern Oregon University won the women's team title with a score of 24, with Cal Poly Humboldt in second place with a score of 40. Willamette was third at 62. Rosa Granados of Cal Poly Humboldt won the women's individual title in 22:25, while Laurne Forster from SOU was second at 22:43. Saedy Willilamson of Cal Poly Humboldt was third at 23:16.
The host Jackrabbits from Humboldt grabbed the men's team championship with a score of 26. Southern Oregon was second at 35 and Willamette placed third at 75. Nick Brichta from Cal Poly Humboldt earned the men's individual championship in 25:30. Zack Alexander of Southern Oregon followed in second at 25:42, and Jensen Salvatori from SOU was third at 25:45.
Up next for the Bearcats is the 47th Annual Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational at Bush's Pasture Park in Salem, Oregon, on Saturday, Oct. 2. The first race is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. (PDT).
