Spokane, WA - The Simon Fraser University women's cross country team is off to the NCAA Championship as the Clan women finished third in the NCAA West Regional on Saturday while the men posted their best finish since joining the NCAA, finishing 10th in the region.
"It was a great performance, exactly what we wanted," said Head Coach Brit Townsend. "I'm really proud of the girls. They were determined to make up for last year and there was no doubt that we were one of the top teams. We were closer than we have been to Alaska Anchorage and Chico State, both ranked top 5 in the nation, so that bodes well for nationals."
The Clan women were led by Lindsey Butterworth (North Vancouver, BC) who finished fourth overall. The senior ran in a time of 22:03.
"Lindsey has led the team in every race this year and went out determined to make up for a disappointing finish last year. She went out with the leaders and ran a great race," continued Townsend.
Freshman Rebecca Bassett (Nanaimo, BC) finished 16th overall and second on the Clan, finishing the race in 22:41.
Kansas Mackenzie (Vancouver, BC) rounded out the top 20 in the competition and finished third on the Clan as the sophomore posted a time of 22.50.
Senior Kirsten Allen (London, ON) finished just behind her teammate, coming fourth on the Clan and 25th overall in a time of 22:52 while Emma Chadsey (Pemberton, BC) rounded out the Clan scorers, finishing close behind Mackenzie and Allen in a time of 22:54 which was good enough for 29th overall.
Sarah Sawatzky (Chilliwack, BC) and Michaela Kane (Robert's Creek, BC) rounded out the runners for the Clan women as the seniors completed the race in times of 23:22 and 23.43 respectively to finish 46th and 62nd in the 161 runner field.
Alaska Anchorage won the team title on the women's side.
Freshman Oliver Jorgensen (Abbotsford, BC) was the top runner for the Clan men, narrowly missing out on reaching the NCAA Championship as an individual, finishing in 18th place overall in a time of 32:32 in the 10-kilometre men's race.
"The men ran very strong and finished three places higher than they did last year. We were missing two key peices and I know they will make a difference for us next year. Oliver has been strong all year and he is going to be a great member of our team for years to come. He missed out on qualifying for one of three individual spots at nationals by five seconds and the rest of the men ran great in a strong field," finished Townsend.
Sophomore Cameron Proceviat (Burnaby, BC) was the Clan's second runner to cross the finish line, finishing the overall competition in 37th place in a time of 33:12.
Brendan Wong (Coquitlam, BC) came across the line third for the Clan men and 53rd overall as the sophomore finished the race in a time of 34:02.
Senior James Young (Surrey, BC) and junior Austin Trapp (Elmira, ON) rounded out the Clan scorers as Young ran in a time of 34:02 and Trapp finished in a time of 34:27.
Also running for the Clan men were Chris Dinsdale (Quesnel, BC) and Stuart McDonald (Surrey, BC) who finished in times of 34:51 and 34:54 respectively.
Chico State won the team title on the men's side.
The NCAA Championship will be run on November 23 back in Spokane, WA.
