LAKEWOOD, Wash. – Johan Correa won his first collegiate cross-country meet, finishing the 5K in fifteen minutes flat. Correa used his 800-meter speed to pull away in the homestretch and secure his victory. The men's team finished 4th with 102 points and the women took 3rd with 79. Lauren Thompson led the women's side, placing 21^st with a time of 20:11.0.

Head coach Jonathan Hill spoke about the 'Cats opening meet, "Our men got our season started today at Puget Sound. In a meet with non-championship distance, our approach this week was to be conservative and competitive. We showed the type of grit late in the race that teams with championship aspirations demonstrate. We had some nice breakthroughs from our upper classmen and some of our newcomers also ran near or better than lifetime bests. We've got special people in this program. I am glad Johan and Steiner are on our side, because those two are tough. I like where we are at and where we are going."

Johan Correa reflected on his win, "Today I was able to win by embracing the unexpected and making sure I finished on empty. The meet itself was fun, the coaches and team were hyped, and I liked the overall atmosphere. We are headed in the right direction if we complete what is needed to be successful individually and as a team."

RACE RESULTS

• Steiner Christensen placed 7^th completing the race in 15:18, Colin Hitchcock finished 31^st with a time of 16:25, and Tiernan Hegarty rounded out the 'Cats top four running the 5K in 16:30 and earning 34^th.
• The 'Cats other three scoring runners included Max Hutton (16:33), Garrett Hough (16:45), and Jack Pratpas (16:49).
• Hannah Mikkelson completed the 5K in 20:22.0 good for 22^nd place. Beatrice Le Gore and Eva Herion rounded out the top four finishing 28^th and 29^th with times of 21:05 and 21:08.
• Camryn Holterhoff (21:13), Nicole Yanasak (21:39), and Hannah Koivisto (21:50) also recorded scoring times for Central Washington.

"Our women are growing, learning, getting better everyday and today we got to race for the first time this year. It was such a great learning opportunity for our group to see what a test like this brings. I think every woman in our program felt like they could have executed better. That's all while we had several lifetime bests. Today we realized what a special group this could be and if we continue to train and grow together, it will only strengthen our bond. The first step to becoming a winning program is embracing the competitive nature of racing. As we build fitness, and continue to race until the very end, we will build a team that represents the fight these women possess" said Hill.

Hill expressed gratitude toward Assistant Coach Bryan Contreras for his work during the coaching transition,.

"Much of our success today has been attributed to Assistant Coach Bryan Contreras. He has done a terrific job holding things down through the transition. He's got these groups ready to run. I am extremely grateful to him; and his mentorship of these young men and women."

UP NEXT

• The team returns home for two weeks of practice before heading to Tacoma, Washington for the PLU invitational on Saturday, September 16^th.