FULLERTON, Calif. — Racing in hot conditions on Cal State Fullerton's 6k course, the Lions opened their 2025 cross country season with a strong team showing at the Mark Covert Classic on Saturday, August 30. The team finished second overall and saw a flurry of personal bests, promising pack running, and impressive collegiate debuts.

"This was a great way to open our season, and I'm happy with the way we positioned ourselves," said Head Coach Chloe Curtis, noting how the Lions' worked together in packs, moving up from sixth place at the first split to second overall by the finish.

The veteran leadership of Hayden Washington (Valencia, CA) was on full display as the senior led the charge with a 6k time of 21:03.2, earning a second-place individual finish in a field of over 70 athletes on top of a 15-second PR. Joining Washington in the top ten was junior Rylee Guinn (Brentwood, CA.), who finished 9th overall in 21:35.3, notching a 25-second PR. 

Rounding out the top five for the Lions were juniors Ava Boyd (Longmont, CO), who dropped over a minute from her previous best to run 21:53.4, Tessa Kline (Springfield, MA) in 22:07.2, and Alex Zanon (Campbell, CA), who made her LMU debut after transferring from the University of Hawaii. Zanon clocked a 45-second improvement over the 6k distance for a new lifetime best of 22:23.8. The Lions' top five posted a team average of 21:49 and a 1-5 gap of 80 seconds.

Freshmen Kailey O'Brien (Elkhorn, NE) and Collette Heil (Seattle, WA) led the next pack of Lions, both delivering sub-23-minute performances in their collegiate debuts with times of 22:40.2 and 22:56.4, respectively. Not far behind was fellow freshman Kelsey Calhoun (Colorado Springs, CO) who posted a time of 23:19.7 in her first NCAA race.

"I knew our returners would be ready to go, but seeing our five newcomers make an immediate impact gets me excited for what's to come," said Curtis. "They will continue to improve with more experience at the 6k distance, and the added depth will be an advantage later in the season."

Senior Ayden Brown (Lafayette, LA), ranked fifth on LMU's all-time 800-meter list, showcased her range delivering a solid performance that saw the mid-distance runner shave over two minutes off her 6k time, running 23:33.4. Senior Samantha Duwe (Oak Park, Ill.), who has previously competed for the Lions on the track in the 5000 meters, made her cross country debut after missing past fall seasons due to injury. She clocked 23:55.2 over the 6k course.

Sophomore Anna Bridges (Denver, CO.) made her debut for Lions after transferring from Creighton University running a time of 24:26.3. And senior and 800m specialist Katie Power (Mystic, Conn.) nearly matched her personal best within a second in a time of 24:55.2

Next up for LMU is the Masters Invitational on Friday, September 20, in Santa Clarita.