Cross Country Waves Crash on Hawai'i

MALIBU, Calif. Â Pepperdine’s men’s and women’s cross country teams head to the University of Hawai’i Saturday for the Big Wave Invitational. The men’s 5K race is scheduled to start at 9:15 a.m. PT and the women begin their 4K race at 9:50 a.m. 

Pepperdine is one nine teams attending along with BYU-Hawai’i, Chaminade, George Fox, Hawai’i Pacific, San Diego State, UCLA, and Hawai’i Â Hilo and Manoa.

The Waves are expecting a dozen or so family members and friends in attendance, but it might be tough for them to watch since the course is located on the Marine Corps Base of Hawai’i, where security has been tightened in recent weeks.

The base is limiting the number of vehicles to no more than 50 and all teams have to provide the number of vehicles they plan on bringing and the names of those who will be driving. Drivers who are not listed could be denied access.

Pepperdine head coach Robert Radnoti also noted the extra security won’t allow him or his teams to practice on the course ahead of Saturday.

“We’ve got nothing to work with and don’t know what to expect because we won’t be able to get on base,” he said. “This is our first time out there so it’s all very brand new to us.”

The course, according to the meet organizers, is mostly grass with some asphalt. The women will run a 4K loop and the men run the same loop with an extra 1K extension just beyond the 2K mark.

Each Pepperdine team consists of eight runners. The men’s team is lead by captain Conrad Wozniak (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS), and he’ll be joined by Cole Feldman (Carroll, Iowa/Kuemper HS), Jimmy Kelley (Santa Clarita, Calif./Hart HS), Seth Allison (Canyon, Texas/Canyon HS), Brennen Halliday (Big Bear, Calif./Big Bear HS), Henri Floris (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala HS), Kenny Smith (Willits, Calif./Willits HS) and Garrett Reim (Fircrest, Wash./Curtis HS).

The women’s team is co-captained by Brieanna Carroll (Pusan, South Korea/Pusan American HS) and Courtney Young (Encinitas, Calif./La Costa Canyon HS). Their team is comprised of Hawai’i native Chelsea Wishard (Lawai, Hawai’i/Kauai HS), Courtney Rolando (Longmont, Colo./Silver Creek HS), Paige Knudsen (Los Gatos, Calif./Los Gatos HS), Paige Mobley (Murrieta, Calif./Murrieta Valley HS), Elizabeth Coe (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley HS) and Lauren Lodge (Hopkinton, Mass./Hopkinton HS).

Wishard and Lodge have been Pepperdine’s top two finishers over the last two meets. This duo placed first and second at the season-opening Malibu Oceanside Invitational on Aug. 30 and was 12th and 13th, respectively, at the UC Irvine/Asics Invitational on Sept. 6.

Allison has been among the men’s teams top finishers at Malibu and Irvine, but it will be interesting to see what Wozniak can bring to the Waves in his season debut. The sophomore missed the first two races due to illness.

The meet will be scored and awards will be given to the top 10 individuals in each race as well as the first-place teams. Results will be posted on the HawaiiAthletics.com web page by mid-afternoon.

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