CHENEY – The 2023 LC State Cross Country season kicked off on Friday at the Northwest Clash in Cheney, Wash. Both Warrior teams placed in the top five at the meet, with the men in fourth and the women in fifth, and both saw strong performances throughout the lineups. Both races were led by NCAA Division I programs Gonzaga, Idaho and Eastern Washington.
“I thought things went really well,” Head Coach Mike Collins said. “Competition was really tough with all the DIs, and Carleton who is a very good DIII from Minnesota, so I feel pretty good about it. Perfect conditions and a nice course; I am really encouraged.”
The men were paced by Carter Gordon. He had the highest finish of any Warrior on the day in 19th (19:02.3) and bested his previous 6k-best time by seven seconds. Clay Shumaker, making his LC State Cross Country debut, was the next LC finisher in 35th (19:23.4) and senior Brycen Brown was 46th (19:39.7). Brycen Kempton placed 51st (19:46.5) and Connor Alexander was 57th (19:56.9) to round out the top five.
The Warrior men packed well throughout the race. Conner May was just outside the top 60 in 62nd (20:01.7), Cooper Carlson was 65th (20:08.1), Kobe Wessels crossed the line 66th (20:09.6) and Keith Uitdewilligen placed 68th (20:21.0). Freshman Liam Page finished in 72nd (20:31.4), Alexander Fry placed 82nd (21:06.4) and Jacob Adams was 89th (21:19.0).
“The guys were okay today,” Collins explained. “I think we aren’t as tuned up this year as we were last year at this same time, so I am hoping that means that we have lots of room for improvement. I think it is encouraging.”
