XC returns from the Bill Dellinger Invitational

RS-sophomore Amir Ado finishes 12th, WSU 10th

BENJAMIN MICHAELIS

Redshirt Sophomore Amir Ado competes in the 6k race on August 30 at the Colfax Golf Course for the WSU XC Open.

DAMIEN ALVARADO, Evergreen reporter

The WSU women’s cross country team finished 12th,  while the men’s team came in 10th place at the Bill Dellinger Invitational Saturday in Springfield, Oregon.

This event featured ranked teams for both men and women. The men’s ranked opponents were No. 2 Brigham Young University, No. 7 Portland, No. 11 Oregon, No. 24 UCLA, No. 27 Air Force and No. 29 Villanova.

As for the women’s team, they faced ranked opponents No. 6 Brigham Young University, No. 9 Oregon, No. 13 Boise State, No. 15 Furman and No. 27 UCLA.

The women’s team finished with a total of 292 points, while BYU finished first with 35. Sophomore Zorana Grujic crossed the finish line first for the Cougars, placing 44th overall with a time of 20:49.3.

Redshirt senior Josie Brown finished second for the Cougars and 62nd in the race, with a final time of 21:03.1.

BYU had three runners in the top five. Both Whittni Orton and Erica Birk of BYU finished the race with a 21 second differential, to the next closest runner which was Oregon’s third-place finish Susan Ejore at 19:41.7.

The WSU men’s team showed a glimpse of success as redshirt sophomore Amir Ado finished 12th, with a time of 23:53.1. They ended up taking 10th place with a total of 221 points. Senior Colton Johnsen was the next one to cross the finish line for the Cougars in 49th place  at 24:27.4 and senior Justin Janke finished 59th at 24:35.4.

Oregon placed first, scoring 54 points. BYU fell short of first and took second at 60 points, while UCLA  finished third with 62 points.

The Cougars will be competing on Oct. 12 in Lewiston, Idaho, for the Inland Empire Championships.