Boxers show impressive improvement in season opener
The Boxer cross country teams opened their season with a dual meet against Lewis & Clark at Westmoreland Park in Portland on Thursday afternoon. Although both teams lost their respective dual meets, they each showed impressive improvement from the same meet last year.
The men's four-mile race went off first at 4:00 pm.Â
Logan Naegeli and
Nick Slenning ran in the front group for most of the first loop of the three-plus loop race. Lewis & Clark had a group of four move up over the final two-lap loops and ended up winning the meet 15-46. Pacific improved their team time from last year's race, though, by over two minutes or 26 seconds per runner. Naegeli led the Boxers with a sixth place finish in 21:52.7, a 23-second improvement over last year. Slenning ran a strong race in his collegiate debut finishing seventh in 21:56.7.Â
Kyle Eisenbeis (22:47.2),
Kaleb Bass (23:10.5) and
Luke Davis (23:14.8) rounded out the scoring for the Boxers.
The women followed at 4:30 with a 5 kilometer race.Â
Stephenie Spencer won the race going away with an impressive 18:39.0 solo effort. The race was very close through the first three runners for each team, but Lewis & Clark won the meet 25-34.Â
Serena Wallace ran almost two minutes faster than she did on this course last year finishing fourth in 19:33.8, a personal best by 58 seconds and 15
th all-time in Pacific history.Â
Jess Knolll improved by 25 seconds from last year running 20:10.1 for sixth place. Freshmen
Sophia O'Neal and
Dani Greene completed the scoring for Pacific running 21:03.8 and 21:27.1 respectively. The women improved their team time from last year by an astounding 4:08 or over 50 seconds per runner.
The teams will next compete at the Ash Creek Invitational at Western Oregon University in Monmouth, Ore. The meet is on Friday, September 9 with the first race starting at 5:00 pm.
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