Seattle University’s Cross Country teams ran themselves to a strong showing on Saturday as they hosted the Emerald City Open at Lower Woodland Park.

Teams from the University of Washington, Oregon State, Seattle Pacific, and a handful of local running clubs were also featured at the open.

Sophie Curatilo won the women’s 6k race with a time of 21:42. She finished just seconds ahead of the second place finisher from Club Northwest. Taylor de Laveaga came in second on the team and seventh overall at 22:36, followed by Lila Rice who came in at 22:46 and 12th overall. Elena Smith was the fourth Redhawk and 17th overall finisher with a time of 22:55 after which Emily Hedberg concluded her run with 23:48 and 23rd place. By taking the top five team finishes, these women clinched their spots for the WAC championships on November 1.

“The Women’s team looked solid today, but not quite as confidently aggressive as I know they can be,” said head coach Trisha Steidl. “That’s something we will build upon as we head into the conference meet.”

The women are also off to a historically great start by cracking the top 15 in the West Region after winning the Viking classic two weeks prior.

“The ladies set big goals for themselves at the start of the year and in order to even get close to those goals, they have to be very focused, motivated, and determined,” Steidl said. “They understand that and have taken a more focused and accountable approach to this season as an entire team than in previous years.”

Gus Arroyo led the way for the men in their 8k event by finishing third overall with a time of 26:15. Baxter Arguinchona followed him at 26:25 and a fifth place finish. The next three Redhawk runners came in consecutively within seven seconds to round out their top five at 14th, 15th, and 16th place. Joe Charbonneau crossed the line with a 27:11, Matthew Seidel at 27:15 and Collin Overbay at 27:18 respectively.

“The spread from one to five was probably the smallest it’s been all season, which is great to see on a tough course like this one,” Steidl said.

The rest of the men’s and women’s squads will have their last chance to earn their places on the conference team on Friday in Corvallis, OR at the Beaver Classic.

“There’s still building to do, but this is a big step in the right direction for these guys,” Steidl said. “Both teams represented well on our home course.”

Connor may be reached at [email protected]

Emily Hedberg is the sports editor of the Spectator, and Taylor de Laveaga is a staff photographer.