Strong showing at Willamette Meet

Cross country was back in action on Saturday, as they competed in the Willamette Invitational following a bye week. Although all of the Division I schools competing finished ahead of the Vikings, PSU still managed some bright spots during the meet. The men’s team placed a respectable 10th overall out of the 39 total teams in the field. Freshmen Kyle Boyd and Paul Loprinzi finished in the top two spots for the Vikings’ squad. Both Boyd and Loprinzi were able to complete the race in less than 26 minutes, placing in the overall top 100.

“Any time a freshmen finishes under 26 minutes, it is a good showing,” assistant coach Mike Hickey stated in a recent press release.

Boyd finished in 51st place with a time of 25:21, while Loprinzi ended in 79th place with a time of 25:50. Chris Hollis and Mike Kebbe followed with times of 26:17 (117th) and 26:27 (138th) respectfully. On the women’s side, Anne Kawasaki was once again the top finisher for the Vikings. Kawasaki finished 24th overall out of a group of 388 runners. Teammate Jenny Rodgers finished 26th overall, ending with the same time as Kawasaki, 18:26. Both recorded personal records.

“Anne ran a great time for a freshman,” Hickey stated. “Jenny went out aggressively and ran with the top 12 runners for most of the race. She faded a little in the end but still had a great race. Both runners are on the verge of stepping it up to the next level.”

Look for the Vikings Cross Country to be in action next week, when they compete at the Eastern Washington Invitational.