By Charlie McGuire, Athletics Communications Assistant
MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Willamette University men's and women's cross country teams opened the 2021 season at the Ash Creek Invitational on Friday evening, Sept. 10. The Bearcat men finished fourth in the team standings while the women had four runners compete individually.
Alex Matteson (Sr., Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS) had a top-10 finish to lead the men in the 6-kilometer race, placing ninth overall with a time of 19:05. Gabriel Regimbal (Jr., Bellingham, WA/Squalicum HS) turned in a strong performance as well, clocking a time of 19:13 to place 13th.
Carson Herrick (Sr., Newberg, OR/Newberg HS) finished in the top 25 with a time of 19:33. Jonathan Wallace (Jr., Forest Grove, OR/Forest Grove HS) and Roscoe McDonald (Jr., Seattle, WA/Ballard HS) crossed the line 36th and 37th, respectively, with marks of 19:59 and 20:02, to round out the Bearcats' top five.
Also running for the Bearcats in the men's race were Milo Greenberg (So., Seattle, WA/The Northwest School) in 20:35, Joshua Evans (Fy., Lafayette, CA/Acalanes HS) at 20:45, Ian Curtis (Jr., Eugene, OR/South Eugene HS) at 21:09, Antonio Barrientos (So., Dallas, OR/Dallas HS) in 21:59, and Jordan Treber (Fy., Mount Vernon, OH/Mount Vernon HS) in 22:59.
George Fox captured the team title with 36 points, holding off host Western Oregon, who combined for 36. Willamette matched Lane CC with 93 points in the 10-team field. Lane earned the tie-breaker based on individual finishes.
Audrey Piacsek (Sr., Ellensburg, WA/Ellensburg HS) led the Bearcat women, finishing the 4-kilometer course with a time of 15:53 to place 29th overall.
Adelaide Kemp (Fy., Shorewood, WA/Shorewood HS) finished with a time of 16:24 with Melissa Duncan (So., Canyon Country, CA/Canyon HS) and Leila Fischer (So., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS) posting times of 17:05 and 17:20, respectively.
George Fox also won the women's team title with 29 points while Western Oregon captured second with 58. Lane CC was third, coming in with a score of 78.
Both teams are scheduled to return to Monmouth on Friday, Sept. 24 for the Mike Johnson Classic. Start time is set for 5:00 p.m. (PDT)
