RIVERSIDE, Calif. – The Eastern Washington University cross country teams traveled to California to compete in a highly competitive field, racing against 23 other programs on both the men's and women's sides. The Eagle men placed ninth overall with 258 points, while the women secured a 10th-place finish with 328 points.

"We love racing in California," said Director of Track and Field/Cross Country Erin Tucker. "Let's start there! We did not disappoint — PRs across the board and we still have more in the tank. I am happy and proud of how we raced. We are getting better every week, and as a coach you could not ask for more."

On the men's side, Marcus Lemon led the way with a 29th-place finish in 24:24.1. He was followed by Conner Wirth in 42nd and Owen Higgins in 70th. Additional scorers for Eastern included Grady Fournier, Charlie Ledwith, Trajn Swalstad, and Lucas Spurling.

"We learned a lot from the first two meets and executed this race extremely well," Tucker added. "We are getting fit and gaining confidence, and I love where we are! The energy and enthusiasm is super high, and I have no doubt we are going to shock some folks during championship season."

For the women, Rylee Brandon led the Eagles with a 33rd-place finish in 21:05.2. Rhiannon Davis (66th) and Sara Sanders (69th) followed closely, with Nattie Ruzauskas, Adrienne Root, Emma Thomlinson, and Lexi Meyer rounding out the scoring lineup.

Looking ahead, Eastern will stay closer to home next week, heading to Walla Walla, Wash., for the Whitman Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 4.
 
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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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