Westmont men’s and women’s cross country teams each finished third at the 2011 Golden State Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday. The races were held at Woodward Park in Fresno.
On the women’s side, the Warriors tallied 87 points, 13 points behind Biola who claimed second place. Azusa Pacific claimed the GSAC Championships, tallying just 20 points. Fourth place went to The Master’s with 91 points while Vanguard took fifth with 130 points.
Westmont’s Kate Stuart earned All-GSAC honors by placing seventh in a time of 18:08. Westmont’s second finisher was Danica Rosendale who completed the 5,000 meter course in a time of 18:37 and in sixteenth place. Heidi Nicholls (18:49) placed twentieth just ahead of Amber Collier (18:57) who was twenty-first and Corrine Cherne (19:04) who was twenty-third.
The individual championship went to Azusa Pacific’s Lauren Jimison who posted a time of 17:01.
Westmont’s performance means that the women’s team should earn a place in the NAIA National Championship, which will be held in two weeks on Saturday, November 19 in Fort Vancouver National Historic Site, Vancouver, Washington. The championship field will be announced on Monday, November 7.
The men’s team finished with 73 points; six behind second place Biola. The Master’s won the GSAC Championship with 58 points. Point Loma was fourth with 99 points while Vanguard placed fifth with 112 points.
Matt Organista was the Warriors’ first finisher; taking eighth place in the 8,000 meter race with a time of 25:22. Organista also earned All-GSAC status. Evan Bradford posted a time of 25:26 to notch thirteenth place while Matt Day was fourteenth with a time of 25:37. Running with an injury, Jake Jeanson (25:48) took eighteenth place. Nathan Kemp (25:53) was the Warriors’ final point earned, placing twentieth.
The individual championship was earned by The Master’s John Gilbertson with a time of 24:05.
The men’s team is on the bubble for a national tournament at-large bid. Final rankings are due out on Sunday, November 6 and will give the Warriors a good indication of whether a bid to the national tournament is in the offing the following day.
