(Lewiston, ID) Lewis-Clark State Cross Country starts its postseason journey on Friday at the 2024 Cascade Conference Cross Country Championships in Portland, Ore. The races will take place at Rose City Golf Course.
The men’s 8k will kick off at 10 a.m. with the women’s 6k to follow at 11 a.m. Both LC State teams are ranked in the top 25 of the NAIA, and each race will feature three ranked teams including the Warriors.
THE MEN
The Warrior men are No. 11 in the NAIA heading into the meet with College of Idaho leading the way at No. 1. The preseason favorite has the fastest top-five runners in the nation. Eastern Oregon is two spots behind LC State in the NAIA poll at No. 13.
Kobe Wessels is the lone All-Cascade Conference returner from last season’s meet, but many Warriors will be in the hunt this season. The top 15 earn All-CCC honors, and Carter Gordon, Conner May and Griffen Parsells, along with Wessels, all stand a strong chance to place in the top 15. The Warrior lineup is deep, so any LC State runner can step up at any given time to help the team.
Gordon and Wessels have been the top two runners all season for LC State with May consistently in the mix. Parsells, an All-American individually in track and field last season, gets faster as the season goes on and juniors Alexander Fry and Connor Alexander have also had the best races of their careers this season.
THE WOMEN
The women’s race will be just as competitive as the men’s with No. 6 College of Idaho predicted to lead the way. Southern Oregon sits just ahead of LC State in the NAIA poll at No. 10, while Eastern Oregon is receiving votes in the poll.
Grace Tiegs narrowly missed out on conference honors last season and has been on of LC State’s top competitors this season. The junior, along with senior Abigail Shumaker, bring the most experience into the conference meet.
The No. 18 Warrior women get better with each race, evident by the breakout performances of Damaris Kibiwot. The freshman set the freshman 5k record at the home meet with a time of 18:04, then placed 14th out of 303 at the Blazing Tiger Classic. Both Kibiwot and Tiegs placed in the top 25 in Nebraska to earn recognition after the race. The pair have led LC State in nearly every race this season with Lily Bennett, Camille Ussher and Shumaker solidifying the top five.
THE DETAILS
The races are hosted by Multnomah at the Rose City Golf Course. Live results will be available. The top 15 from each race will earn All-Cascade Conference honors.
