Cross country hits the end of the line

The+WSU+women%E2%80%99s+cross+country+team+runs+in+the+Clash+of+the+Inland+Northwest+meet+in+Spokane%2C+Aug.+30%2C+2014.

The WSU women’s cross country team runs in the Clash of the Inland Northwest meet in Spokane, Aug. 30, 2014.

From staff reports

In what turned out to be its last race of the season, the Washington State cross country team fell short at the NCAA West Regional Championships.

In order to advance to the nationals, the men and women needed to finish in one of the top two spots. In what head coach Wayne Phipps called a “disappointing result,” both the men and women placed 13th overall and missed the cut.

On the women’s side, senior standout Abby Regan was the top finisher for the Cougars placing 36th overall (21:30.0). Of the six other Cougar women competing, the four that scored were junior CharLee Linton in 66th (21:36.4), sophomore Ashlie Standow in 80th (21:48.9), freshman Devon Bortfeld in 82nd (21:49.5), and redshirt sophomore Morgan Willson in 99th (22:05.6). Junior Emily Dwyer and sophomore Steffie Pavey finished 123rd and 171st respectively.

For the Cougar men, redshirt senior Drew Jordan was the top finisher. Jordan placed 46th on the 10-kilometer course with a time of 30:35.0. The four other men that scored for the Cougs were sophomore John Whelan in 54th (30:32.5), junior Forrest Shaffer in 61st (30:44.3), sophomore Jackson Haselnus in 78th (31:06.7), and sophomore Conner Johnsen in 97th (31:21.1). The other two Cougar men, freshman Sam Levora and senior Lee George, finished 111th and 123rd, respectively.

To qualify individually, runners had to finish in the top-four of their respective region. The NCAA also gave 13 teams and two individuals at-large bids, but neither of WSU’s teams were selected. Stanford’s, UCLA’s, and Washington’s men’s and women’s teams received at-large bids. Colorado and Oregon were the two teams from the Pac-12 to automatically qualify.

With cross country season in the books, the Cougar runners turn their attention toward indoor track and field.

Reporting by Nate Asbury