Men’s cross country earns sixth place finish

Gabe Plendcio led the Eagles by placing fourth overall in the regional championships.

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor • November 9, 2019

Men’s cross country earns sixth place finish

Photo courtesy of Courtesy of Biola Athletics (file)

After the men won the PacWest Cross Country Championships on Oct. 26 and the women placing second, both teams traveled to Monmouth, Oregon to compete in the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships on Saturday. The men picked up a top-10 finish by a strong performance from senior Gabe Plendcio, earning the team sixth place out of 28 teams. The women had new season bests but fell short by placing 14th out of 27 teams.

MEN PLACE HIGH IN 10K

In the 10k race, four Eagles placed within the top 50 to earn the top-10 finish overall. Plendcio led the Eagles by finishing in fourth and earning the top PacWest conference runner finish in the race. He also finished with a time of 30:01.2. Junior Angel Escobar finished in 24th with a time of 30:45.

Sophomore Brady DeHaven finished 34th in 30:59.9 and junior Ryan St. Pierre followed behind in 40th with a time of 31:05.7. Sophomore Jared Donnel rounded out the scorers times by finishing 65th in 31:43.2.

Chico State University swept the 10k race by an average runner time of 30:11 and 43 points. The Eagles finished the regional championships by placing sixth by an average runner time of 30:55 and earned 167 points.

The men are strong contenders to compete in the NCAA Division II National Championships on Nov. 23 in Sacramento, California. The Eagles will find out in two days whether the men’s team or Plendcio will represent the Eagles at the National Championships.

WOMEN EARN NEW SEASON BEST TIMES

All five of the Eagles’ top scorers earned new season best times in the 6k race. Junior Mackenna Mason led the women by placing 25th and earned a new season best by a time of 21:24.7. Sophomore Grace Catena finished neck-in-neck with a runner from University of California, San Diego by finishing in 61st with a time of 22:09.2.

Sophomore Clara Haynes finished 91st with a time of 22:32.0 and senior Kaili Waller finished closely behind in 95th with a time of 22:33.9. Senior Amanda Reyes picked up the last score for the Eagles by finishing in 108th by a time of 22:40.6.

Overall, Chico State dominated in the 5k race by an average runner time of 21:10 and 75 points. The Eagles concluded their season by placing 14th in the championships by an average runner time of 22:16 and 268 points. Biola also finished as the second-best PacWest Conference team, while Fresno Pacific University came first in 12th place.

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About the Contributor

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor

Sasha Terry is a senior journalism major who is known for her positivity and passion. She enjoys writing, playing sports, watching movies, traveling, shopping and spending time with friends and family. After traveling from Auburn, Washington which is about 40 minutes south of Seattle, to Biola University, I declared to major in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast. I came to Biola University with a strong passion for being involved in activities on campus that would demonstrate my artistic and writing abilities. The Chimes caught my eye the first semester of my freshman year and I decided to work with the staff as a freelance sports writer. I enjoyed attending the games, interviewing the coaches and players and writing game recaps. The next semester, I applied for the sports staff writer position and was accepted, which strengthened my writing drastically. During my sophomore and junior year, I worked as a Web Editor and innovated the Chimes website and social media pages. This year, I am stepping into the Copy Editor position and I aim to continue working towards my goal of being a broadcast journalist by reporting stories and challenging myself to learn more about AP Style. I will also continue to write for the sports section to strengthen my writing even more. I’m so glad to be a part of the staff and I’m excited for what’s to come next.