Christian Gutierrez

Women's Cross Country 10/8/2025 9:21:00 PM

Seven PRs and 40-Second Spread Highlight Lions’ Depth at Charles Bowles Invitational

SALEM, Ore. — Racing under the falling leaves in the Pacific Northwest, the Lions continued their season with another solid performance, this time at the Charles Bowles Invitational, where seven of the eleven competing athletes set new personal records and the top five runners crossed the line within 40 seconds of each other.

The Lions finished 7th out of the 27 teams, edging out conference rival Seattle University by just three points. "This was a strong performance for us all around," said Head Coach Chloe Curtis. The race, which is the only 5k the women will run this fall—with most competitions contested over six kilometers—came at the right time in the season, Curtis explained: "It was great for us to race a shorter distance at this point and test out a more aggressive strategy at the start of the race." The experience, Curtis said, will serve the team well as they prepare for the championship season, when it's especially important to establish position early in the race.

At the head of the pack for the Lions was senior Hayden Washington (Valencia, CA), who crossed the line in 17:57.1—just one second off her personal best—to lead LMU for the third straight meet. Behind her, juniors Rylee Guinn (Brentwood, CA), Tessa Kline (Springfield, MA), and Ava Boyd (Longmont, CO) turned in major personal bests, with Boyd dropping a staggering 67 seconds from her previous 5k mark to finish in 18:28.4. Junior transfer Alex Zanon (Campbell, CA) closed out the scoring five with a strong 18:37.6, locking in the 40-second spread.

"Our top five have been incredibly consistent this season," said Curtis, noting how Guinn, Kline, and Boyd have each shown significant growth compared to a year ago. Plus the addition of Zanon as a steady contributor has added critical depth to LMU's scoring group. "Alex has really leveled up since transferring," Curtis added. "She's been reliable and competitive, which has made a big difference for our depth."

Finishing sixth for the squad and earning Lion of the Meet honors as voted by her teammates was junior Emma Ronan (Northbridge, MA), who after sitting out last track season, came away with a breakout race, posting a time of 19:02.6 and setting a 26-second personal record.

"I'm so proud of Emma," said Curtis. "She has been working hard for this moment for a long time." Curtis noted that the team had sensed a breakthrough was coming, but what stood out was Ronan's willingness to take a risk and go for it—something Curtis called "inspiring." "She has been a great teammate, even when sidelined with her injury, so I know her performance meant a lot to the team."
Freshman Collette Heil (Nahant, MA) rounded out the top seven for the Lions in a time of 19:07.3, shaving 27 seconds off her high school best.

Also in action on the road for the Lions were freshman Kailey O'Brien (Elkhorn, Neb.), finishing in 19:07.8, senior Samantha Duwe (Oak Park, Ill.) in 19:21.8, sophomore Anna Bridges (Denver, CO.), who ran 19:39.0, and freshman Kelsey Calhoun (Colorado Springs, CO) in 19:52.1.

Up next for the Lions is the Bronco Invitational, hosted by Santa Clara University on Saturday, October 18 at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, Calif.

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Players Mentioned

Ava Boyd: Junior

Samantha Duwe: Senior

Rylee Guinn: Junior

Tessa Kline: Junior

Emma Ronan: Junior

Hayden Washington: Senior

Kelsey Calhoun: Freshman

Kailey O'Brien: Freshman

Anna Bridges: Sophomore

Alex Zanon: Junior

Players Mentioned

Ava Boyd
: Junior

Samantha Duwe
: Senior

Rylee Guinn
: Junior

Tessa Kline
: Junior

Emma Ronan
: Junior

Hayden Washington
: Senior

Kelsey Calhoun
: Freshman

Kailey O'Brien
: Freshman

Anna Bridges
: Sophomore

Alex Zanon
: Junior

Loyola Marymount University Athletics

Scoreboard

Scoreboard

Seven PRs and 40-Second Spread Highlight Lions’ Depth at Charles Bowles Invitational

Players Mentioned

Ava Boyd

Samantha Duwe

Rylee Guinn

Tessa Kline

Emma Ronan

Hayden Washington

Kelsey Calhoun

Kailey O'Brien

Anna Bridges

Alex Zanon

Players Mentioned

Ava Boyd

Samantha Duwe

Rylee Guinn

Tessa Kline

Emma Ronan

Hayden Washington

Kelsey Calhoun

Kailey O'Brien

Anna Bridges

Alex Zanon