Salem, Ore. – Central Washington's Cross-Country teams placed fifth and eighth on Saturday morning as they competed amongst 25 different Division I, II, III and NAIA programs. The men's team looked sharp and competed to the very end as three runners placed in the top 50. On the women's side, we saw progression from a young squad, recording their best times in a 5K race. Johan Correa earned a place in the top five finishing with a 23:59.2 time, while teammate Ramon Rodriguez finished right behind him, with a 23:59.7 time. These two runners continue to lead the 'Cats with top performances.
 
QUOTING ASSISTANT COACH MATT LAYTEN
"An amazing day by our crew on both sides! We talk consistently about being ready to run fast at the right time of the season and as the meets get bigger and more significant. We feel that our window is opening for us to take some big steps this season and today was, what I feel, our first of many as a complete group. On the men's side, we had a unique opportunity to go run against some of the regions and nation's best from Division I, II, III, and NAIA to allow us to rehearse race strategy that will serve us well in the postseason!"

"On the men's side, Johan Correa and Ramon Rodriguez leading our squad and having their fastest races to date over 8000 meters shows that they are rounding into form. An outstanding job by Jack Pratapas and Colin Hitchcock running to what they were capable of today and giving us some depth at our fifth and sixth positions. We still have more to work on as we get closer to the championships, but this was a day for our team to realize that there are no limits on where they can take the rest of this season as a full team."

"I would consider the field of competitors and teams on the women's side today even more deep than the men, with many strong Division I programs from the west present for the 5K. A true opportunity for our young crew of lady wildcats to see the rewards of their training by seeing improvements from the high school distance! Nearly everyone in our crew ran their fastest recorded cross country 5K today and did so while finishing just a few points away from today's squad from Oregon State! Freshman Hannah Pidduck has strung together a whole new level of training since she has arrived to Ellensburg and she got to showcase her tenacity and drive today on the course. Along with Payton Conover following up her GNAC Runner Of The Week honor a few weeks back with another solid day, both of our freshman helped pace our group to one of its smallest 1-5 team spreads in recent years. It was great seeing Beatrice Le Gore back in the field this week, who has shown outstanding courage and leadership by example in the way she goes about her preparation and how she trains, and I know our young crew aspire to emulate the toughness that she exhibits day in and day out."
 
RACE RESULTS
Correa led the men, finishing fifth amongst 280 participants, with a 23:59.2 time in the 8K race. Teammate Ramon Rodriguez was right behind, finishing sixth with a 23:59.7 time. Luke Hurd placed 31^st with a 25:03.7 time and continues to improve weekly. Will McGonigal and Jack Pratapas rounded out CWU's top five performers with 25:07.4 and 25:18.8 times.
 
Hannah Pidduck led the women, finishing 30^th amongst 216 participants with a time of 18:32.3 in the 5K race. Payton Conover was close behind, finishing 32^nd with a 18:32.7 time. Beatrice Le Gore rounded out the top 50 performers with a 18:48.3 time. Helayna Bonilla and Heidi Gill rounded out the top five for the Wildcats with times of 19:15.0 and 19:23.0.
 
UP NEXT
The Crimson and Black travel to Seattle on October 12^th as they compete in the Emerald City Open that is set to start at 10:30 a.m. at Lower Woodland Park.