MISSOULA, Mont. — The Eastern Washington Cross Country team wrapped up its 2023 season with matching fifth-place finishes at the Big Sky Championships on a snowy morning in Missoula on Friday. The Eagle women finished with 145 points, edging Sacramento State's 154, while the men earned 156 points to come in ahead of the hosting Montana Grizzlies at 176. Top-ranked Northern Arizona won both races.
"It's a great feeling for our athletes seeing all the hard work they put in pay off int he championship results and we got that today," said head coach
Sam Read. "The snow-covered couse pairing with great team showings will definitely make this a memorable conference championship."
In the women's 5K, the Eagles were led by Kaylin Sheley and Lilly Fetzer, who crossed the line together at 23rd and 24th place (18:17.40, 18:17.60). Nattie Ruzauskas came in at 32nd, Jasmin Muneton at 37th and Jenni Bissell at 39th.
"EWU is a program that belongs in the top half of the Big Sky," added Read. "Over the last few years we've been slowly climbing to that potential and now see our programs there."
It's the best team finish for the Eagle women since 2015 and for the men since 2013.
"The women found themselves in a team battle with some work to do the second half, but as always, we saw that pack climb up and get the job done. Really excited to see Kaylin lead teh way for us in her last Big Sky cross country race."
EWU Women's 5K Results (Place — Athlete, Time)
23 — Kaylin Sheley, 18:17.40
24 — Lilly Fetzer, 18:17.60
32 — Nattie Ruzauskas, 18:33.80
37 — Jasmin Muneton, 18:45.50
39 — Jenni Bissell, 18:49.20
46 — Ellie Linnenburger, 19:00.70
51 — Madi Carr, 19:09.10
66 — Faith Martinez, 19:47.30
Noah Hasselblad continued to lead the Eagle men in the 8K, finishing a team-best 20th at 24:51.80. Cam McChesney ran a strong race to cross at 26th (25:11.70), followed by Evan Peters at 34th (25:24.00), Austin Steed at 41st (25:40.80) and freshman Owen Higgins at 43rd (25:42.60).
"This was our best performance of the year (for the men). Our guys shoudl walk away proud of their performance. Big shout out to Noah being a solid low stick for us today and being the definition of consistent all season. We also got a great showing by Cam."
EWU Men's 8K Results (Place — Athlete, Time)
20 — Noah Hasselblad, 24:51.80
26 — Cam McChesney, 25:11.70
34 — Evan Peters, 25:24.00
41 — Austin Steed, 25:40.80
43 — Owen Higgins, 25:42.60
50 — Jamie Christner, 26:02.40
56 — Jesus Herrejon, 26:26.30
59 — John Hoffer, 26:43.00
Gallery: (10-27-2023) XC — 2023 Big Sky Championships
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ABOUT EASTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
Eastern Washington University Athletics sponsors 14 intercollegiate sports, six for men and eight for women, both as learning opportunities for its most athletically talented students and as an enhancement to student and community life. Eastern is affiliated with Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and is a member of the Big Sky Conference, an association of 10 regional schools with comparable enrollments and academic goals.
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