MONMOUTH, Ore. - Both the men and women's cross country teams finished 6th at the Mike Johnson Classic cross country meet hosted by Western Oregon University today. Each race was comprised of NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, and junior college institutions. Hot and dusty conditions made for a hard-fought race for both teams. 

The women raced first today over the Ash Creek Preserve course over a distance of 6,000m. They finished in 6th place with a score of 157 points. Abby Klein finished first for the Boxers with her 24th place finish and time of 23:22.1. Trailing by just five seconds, Kara Putman finished in 26th place with her time of 23:27.3. Morgan Henry had a phenomenal race, and massive PR of 23:41.5 on her way to 28th place. Cris Brethower was the fourth Boxer to cross the line in 50th place and time of 24:42.9 and Bethany Kalebaugh rounded out the top five with her 62nd place finish and time of 25:19. 

After the women, the men raced 8,000m and finished in 6th with a score of 165 points. Riley Stewart led the Boxers with his 20th place finish and time of 25:59. Erik Maack followed close behind with a very strong finish to take 24th place in a time of 26:07.4. Will Neal finished 3rd for the Boxers with his 47th place and time of 27:06.9. Oliver Joss was 56th place in a time of 27:23.3, and Carlos Masuko rounded out the Boxers top five with his very strong final 2,000m to take 57th place in a time of 27:25.5. 

"I am happy with how the teams competed today," said Head Coach Bailee Cofer. "For the men, this is the best race they've had as a team in a long time. For both teams, this was a great learning experience. I'm eager to see both the men and women continue to improve throughout our upcoming races." 

The Boxers will continue their season at Willamette Univeristy on Saturday, Oct. 2. 

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