Wishard Takes Third at WCC Championships

BELMONT, Calif. Â Sophomore Chelsea Wishard was Pepperdine’s bright spot on a cool and rainy Saturday morning at the West Coast Conference Cross Country Championships, finishing the 6K race at Crystal Springs with a third-place time of 22:07.

Wishard (Lawai, Hawai’i/Kauai HS) has led the Waves to the finish line at every race this season and today posted Pepperdine’s best individual finish at WCCs since Rebecca Freebury won the 1999 title in 18:18.

Wishard was named to the All-WCC team for her efforts.

“Chelsea got herself in a great position from the start, running with the pack of top-10 runners,” head coach Robert Radnoti said. “She was in sixth by the start of the final lap and then came on strong like she always does. Chelsea was definitely a super bright spot for us, and maybe it’s because she’s from Hawai’i where it rains all the time, that she was able to run so well today.”

Wishard’s mark was only 13 seconds out of first place and almost two minutes faster than her 2007 WCC time of 23:52, which placed her 33rd overall.

Unfortunately, not everyone on the team had as good of a performance as the Waves placed sixth overall with 117 points. Freshman Lauren Lodge (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton HS) was Pepperdine’s No. 2 runner and 17th overall in 22:59, while her classmate Elizabeth Coe (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley HS) was the next to cross in 30th at 23:39.

Pepperdine’s men’s team scored twenty more points than the women with 137 points, but managed a fifth-place finish that matched last season’s result.

Sophomore Seth Allison (Canyon, Texas/Canyon HS) was the Waves’ leading runner for the second time this season, coming in 22nd place with a time of 27:13 on the 8K course. Last year, Allison was the Waves’ No. 6 runner at 27:48.

Finishing close behind Allison were team captain and sophomore Conrad Wozniak (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge), who took 24th place at 27:21, and sophomore Henri Floris (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala HS), who finished 25th at 27:23.

Both Wozniak’s and Floris’ times were slightly faster a year ago, but their overall placing in 2008 was about 10 places higher.

Wozniak was 34th last season in 27:07 and Floris was 36th in 27:11.

Pepperdine’s next competition is the NCAA West Regional, which takes place in Palo Alto, Calif., on Nov. 15. 

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