After a hard fought day, both the Seattle Uni- versity men’s and women’s cross country teams finished in third place in the Western Athletic Conference Championships.

Redshirt junior Nathan McLaughlin finished first among his teammates, finishing the 8k run with a time of 24:52.76, good for 10th overall in a field featuring 53 total runners.

McLaughlin earned second team WAC honors with his time.

Teammates Gus Arroyo and Tyler Flannery were the next two Redhawks to cross the finish line with times of 25:16.62 and 25:19.42, good for 17th and 19th place finishes, respectively.

“The guys ran strong and there’s no doubt in my mind each of them gave all they had today,” Head coach Trisha Steidl said. “I’m proud of the effort I saw out on the course today, and we will build upon this for the Regional meet.”

On the women’s side, freshman Olivia Stein was the first Redhawk across the line. Stein finished the 5k with a time of 18:24.31, good for sixth overall and earning her first teamWAC conference honors.

“Olivia ran a smart, strong race,” Steidl said. “She has improved with every race this season. It’s been fun to see her progression and watch her confidence build along with it.”

Elena Smith (eighth) and Lila Rice (12th) both finished in the top 15, with times of 18:24.31and 18:37.50, respectively.

The team will now head to the NCAA West Regionals on Nov. 13 at Jefferson Park Golf Course here in Seattle. The top seven runners from each team will compete in the regional competition.

AJ may be reached at [email protected]