Strong Finishes and PR's at NWAC Championships

University Place, WA - The weather and course conditions were absolutely perfect at the 2022 NWAC Cross Country Championships at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, WA.  The course played host to the NCAA West Regional Finals a day prior but even with over 460 runners, the lack of rain kept the grass solid and by the 11:00am race time the crisp autumn morning temperature had risen to over 50 degrees with blue sky and sunshine.  

All season, the women's cross country team consisted of three runners, sophomore Johanna Schmidt, and two freshmen Kayla Shueller and Emma Arceo.  Arceo was the team's top finisher through the four previous meets, but this would be the first where the women would score as a team.  Three Trojan soccer players (all freshman) Paige Runcorn, Shaelynn Gerrodette, and leading goal scorer Elizabeth Martinez, stepped up to run this weekend in the 5k championship race.  The three newcomers had never ran in a cross country race before, although Martinez and Gerrodette had done track in high school.  Soccer players typically run 5-6 miles during the course of a 90-minute match, but a 5k (3.1 miles) race is a different non-stop pace with the top NWAC runners averaging about 6 minutes per mile. 

Lane CC was the heavy favorite coming into the race, and the top three Titan runners got out in front and held the lead the entire way finishing 1,2,3.  Emma Arceo was again the top Trojan finisher, running 20:47 (PR) and finishing 17th overall.  Newcomers Elizabeth Martinez and Paige Runcorn used their soccer fitness to grind out impressive times of 21:07 and 21:53, finishing 28th and 38th respectively.  Shueller was not far behind Runcorn with a time of 22:17 shattering her previous personal best by two minutes and 24 seconds.  Loan sophomore Johanna Schmidt came in at 46th, and finished at 22:50, a PR by one minute and fourteen secons.  Shaelynn Gerrodette rounded out the team, finishing 53rd of 66 runners in her first ever cross country race with a time of 23:49.  Shaelynn's 50 points served to displace 11 runners, helping the Trojans stay 8 points ahead of Clackamas, securring the 6th place overall team finish and just missing 5th by a mere 4 points to Green River.  

The men's 8k followed which was again dominated by Lane, who scored a perfect 15 points by finishing one through five.  Spokane placed the next three runners, effectively clinching second place.  Everett was led by freshman Liam O'Brian who PR'd with a time of 28:50.  In fact all five Trojan competitors set PR's, highlighted by Diadie Diarra who shaved off 3:46 from his 8k time, and was the second finisher for EvCC.  Vitalii Shvets who specializes in the 800 on the track, PR'd by 1:37, and rounding out the scoring for EvCC was Luke Pusateri and Joseph Heisley who both PR'd by 60 seconds and 44 seconds respectively.  The team finished 9th overall just five points behind Umpqua CC.