Cross Country Starts 2009 Season with Split at Pre’s Trail Pre-View

Oregon senior Lauren Zaludek took the title, finishing in 17:00.1.

Junior Jennifer Macias earned the top finish for the Beavers Friday evening. Courtesy: Oregon State University Athletics

Eugene, Ore. - Junior Jennifer Macias (Hermiston, Ore.) led the Oregon State women’s cross country team past Portland State, 17-43, with her fifth place overall finish, but the Beavers were edged by Oregon, 19-37, in the Pre’s Trail Preview double duals on Friday evening at Alton Baker Park.

Jennifer Macias

Macias finished the 4,800-meter race in 17:19.7, followed closely by junior Hannah Soza-Hodgkinson (Forest Ranch, Calif.), who finished in 17:24.8. Redshirt sophomore Laura Carlyle (Kelowna, British Columbia) and junior Abby Chesimet (Astora, Ore.) rounded out the top 10 overall for Oregon State, finishing eighth and ninth, while junior Kambria Schumacher (Sweet Home, Ore.) completed the scoring runners for both duals, finishing 16th.

“I thought the meet went very well,” head coach Kelly Sullivan said. “The thing we liked about what we saw tonight was that they went right out with Oregon’s top runners, and Oregon will be ranked probably in the top three in the country when the polls come out. So overall it was a good start, and we’re looking forward to the meet in the next couple of weeks at the Sundodger Invitational.”

Another bright spot for the team was freshman Sandra Martinez (Yakima, Wash.), who finished seventh overall in 17:39.4, but was running unattached. Freshman Erin Jones (Hood River, Ore.) also posted a top finish, unattached, finishing 12th overall, followed by freshman Jenny Elder’s (Scappoose, Ore.) 15th place finish.

Oregon senior Lauren Zaludek took the title, finishing in 17:00.1. And freshman Amber Rozcicha had the top finish for the Vikings, coming in 13th place in a time of 18:19.8.

Oregon State will take a week off from competition before heading to the Sundodger Invitational, hosted by the University of Washington on Saturday, Sept. 19, at 8:00 a.m.

Pre’s Trail Pre-View (Top 5 and Oregon State Finishes): 1. Lauren Zaludek, Oregon, 17:00.1; 2. Bronwyn Crossman, Oregon, 17:02.4; 3. Claire Michel, Oregon, 17:02.8; 4. Betsy Bies, Oregon, 17:11.6; 5. Jennifer Macias, Oregon State, 17:19.7; 6. Hannah Soza-Hodgkinson, Oregon State, 17:24.8; 8. Laura Carlyle, Oregon State, 17:44.3; 9. Abby Chesimet, Oregon State, 17:46.6; 16. Kambria Schumacher, Oregon State, 18:34.9; Natosha Buruse, Oregon State, 18:46.3; 19. Jenny O’Connor, Oregon State, 18:57.5; 25. Cassandra Schumacher, Oregon State, 19:35.1.

Competing Unattached: 7. Sandra Martinez, 17:39.4; 12. Erin Jones, 18:06.0; 15. Jenny Elder, 18:30.7; 20. Sabrina Lopez, 19:00.2; 21. Regina Lopez, 19:00.7.

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