SACRAMENTO, Calif. - The LMU men's and women's cross country teams will be competing in the NCAA West Regional hosted by Sacramento State on Friday morning. The race will take place at the Haggin Oaks Golf Course with the men's race beginning at 11:00 a.m. (PT) and the women's race will begin at 10:00 a.m. (PT).
The Lions are led by Adam Trafecanty on the men's side and Hayden Washington on the women's side, with both looking to jump into the national spotlight on Friday.
Both teams are vying to improve on last season's finishes. The men tied the best-ever finish for LMU with a 13th-place finish. They were most recently ranked 14th in the region.
The women also look to improve on their finish last year, with the goal of cracking the top 20.
The Lions are coming off a strong showing at the WCC Championships hosted by Pepperdine.
Trafecanty recorded a top-ten finish and
Rylee Guinn showed strength in moving up 17 spots from the first split, with the men finishing fourth and the women finishing sixth.
The women's race kicked off at 10:00 a.m. (PT) and was won by Rosina Machu of Gonzaga.
LMU's top finisher was Hayden Washington who finished 21
st. She was in 25th after the first split and continued to make up ground on each lap. After moving to 22
nd after the third split, she dropped one spot before making up two spots on the final stretch to claim her finishing mark. Her final time was 22:29.7.
Lauren Wagner ran a very consistent race to finish second for the Lions and 32nd overall. She was 34
th after the first split before falling to 35th where she stayed for the next two splits before kicking into another gear on the final stretch to make up three spots and finish where she did.
Guinn was a vision of strength throughout. After the start put her back in 56th, Guinn made up 11 spots after the first lap and continued to make up spots, earning ground on each lap before cruising in at 39th.
Kennedy Bartee was the fourth finisher for the Lions. She ran a very consistent race too, running 55th in three of the five splits and finished 54th overall.
Shelby Page finished right behind Bartee to close the scoring for the Lions. She started 57
th and moved into 56
th right before the fourth split. She finished with a time of 24:39.3.
LMU as a team finished sixth overall but showed tremendous drive to make up 37 points after the first split. The Lions overtook Pepperdine between the second and third splits to mark their final tally at 172.
The men's race kicked off at 11:00 a.m.
Trafecanty was part of the lead pack for the first few laps before settling in right behind the leaders. The senior moved from 22nd after the first split to finish 8th overall. He was the first of four Lions to finish in the top 25.
Jacob Wiggers was the second finisher for the Lions coming in at 16
th. Wiggers hit the first split in 28
th and made up ten spots in the first two splits before taking two more spots and sprinting to the finish.
The pattern with the men's team was getting stronger as the race progressed.
Roberto Ruelas moved from 33
rd in the first split to 21st overall by the end.
Daniel Vaca moved up from 48th at the first split to 24th overall by the end. It was the most places improved from the first checkpoint to the last in the entire race.
Shane Ely wrapped up the scoring for the men's side by placing 33rd. Ely moved up 21 spots after hitting the first split in 54
th.
The team finished fourth overall in the conference and scored 101 points. The team improved from 151 points after the first split to finish 50 points better at the end, displaying the strength in the Lions runners.
The Lions will be back in action at the NCAA West Regional hosted by Sacramento State on Friday, November 10. The women's race will begin at 10:00 a.m. (PT) with the men beginning at 11 a.m.
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