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September 29, 2012
Wildcat women race well at Willamette

SALEM, Ore. – The Wildcat women battled well in a crowded field at the 38th Annual Charles Bowles Invitational, hosted by Willamette, Saturday morning at Bush’s Pasture Park. After the dust had settled, the ‘Cats had placed second among NWC and Division III squads with 92 points.

The Lady 'Cats charge from the line at the Willamette Invitational.

Brooke Niemann finished first for the Linfield women, completing the five-kilometer course in 19 minutes, 4.09 seconds finishing 35th overall out of 212 total runners. “It was great to finish first for the team,” stated Niemann. “We’ve got such a deep team and there are at least five of us capable of being the number one runner each week, so to lead the team across the line gives me a ton of confidence.”

Finishing less than a second behind Niemann, was Hannah Greider, who recorded a time of 19:04.37, as Linfield’s No. 2 runner. Mimi Seeley was third for the Wildcats in 54th place (19:13.19).

Sienna Noe (64th, 19:19.67), Audrey Lichten (76th, 19:30.83), Katie Skinner (95th, 19:44.60), Jill Boroughs (119th, 20:05.01) and Emily Zegar (156th, 20:42.66) rounded out the top seven for Linfield.

Mimi Seeley, Hannah Greider and Brooke Niemann work together mid-race.

 “This women’s team is going to be very competitive at championship time,” stated Associate Head Coach Greg Mitchell. “We put them through the ringer this week at practice and they were still able to perform well with beat up bodies and heavy legs. I’m excited to see what’s coming.”

While the women had a strong day on the race course, the men struggled a bit, finishing 15th overall, eighth among Division III programs and fifth from the Northwest Conference, with a total of 181 points.

“Obviously we were hoping for a better performance from the guys,” stated Mitchell. “But they were racing on tired legs and ultimately, all that matters is the championships. It’s too early to hit the panic button – I think we’re right on track for good things at the championship meets.”

Calvin Howell paced the ‘Cats in the Men’s Cardinal 8K Race, placing 47th in a time of 26 minutes, 20.26 seconds. Joe Gladow was 55th overall (26:27.35) and Frankie Moncada placed 59th (26:34.81).

Jason Hight was 119th in 27.50.69 and Brandon Lemerande finished 130th in 28:16.59. Chad Linnerooth taking 134th in 28:20.25, and Alex Mangan, placing 136th in 28:27.64, rounded out the top seven for Linfield.