Oct. 27, 2001

Belmont, CA, -- The Loyola Marymount men's and women's cross country teams competed in the West Coast Conference Championships on Saturday at the Crystal Springs Course in Belmont, CA, where Edit Pakay placed first in the women's 5K race for the Lions with a time of 17:58, the fourth-fastest time ever recorded in the WCC Finals.

Pakay, the September WCC women's cross country Athlete of the Month, ran her best race of the season in Belmont, posting a time of 17:58. It was the first time this season that any WCC woman has dipped below 18:00 all season. Pakay's previous season best was 18:29, which she posted at the UC Riverside Invitational in September. Heather Montgomery was the next of the Lions to finish the 5K course, as she placed 29th with a time of 20:35. As a team the women placed 7th of the eight teams.

On the men's side, Andrew Thompson was the top Lion, as he placed 22nd with a time of 27:58 in the 8K event. Sean Cox was the next of the Lions to finish for the men, placing 31st with a time of 28:51. Overall, the men took 6th place out of eight teams.

Next the Lions' head coach, Scott Guerrero, will decide who will compete in the NCAA Western Regional Championship, scheduled for November 10 at the University of Arizona.