Pepperdine University
Highlander Invitational
Cross Country Competes at Highlander Invitational
10/18/2014 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - Lindsay Sheaffer and Gordie Thomas were the Pepperdine cross country teams' top runners for the first time this season as the Waves took part in the Highlander Invitational, hosted by UC Riverside, on Saturday morning.
It was Pepperdine's last meet before the start of championship season, as the Waves will next compete at the West Coast Conference Championships on November 1 in Sunnyvale, Calif.
"This was a good tune-up race for the WCC Championships, which is what our focus is," Pepperdine Coach Robert Radnoti said. "There were great conditions. I'm excited for the next two weeks leading up to the WCC Championships."
Sheaffer (Portland, Ore./Jesuit HS), a sophomore, came in 12th place in the women's 5K with a time of 18:10.3. She had been the Waves' #2 runner at her first two meets this season. The other Waves to score were senior Lisa Santroch (Shoreline, Wash./Shorewood HS), junior Katie Engel (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima HS), sophomore Ellie Smith (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck HS) and junior Rachel Rant (Boise, Idaho/Boise HS).
"Lindsay ran a really good race," Radnoti said. "We wanted her to let it go today and see what she could do, and so 12th overall was a good finish for her. Katie is normally our top runner, but we wanted to be careful with a calf issue so she backed off a bit to make sure she's ready for two weeks from now. I was also pleased with Rachel, who was coming off an injury and ran well for the first time this season."
In the men's 6K, Thomas (Fallbrook, Calif./Great Oak HS) placed 30th overall with a time of 18:55.6. The other four Waves that scored were freshman Rudy Gonzalez (Whittier, Calif./California HS), freshman Kyle Cajero (Tucson, Ariz./Pusch Ridge Christian Academy), sophomore Ben Fox (Colorado Springs, Colo./Cheyenne Mountain HS) and freshman Kevin Maeda (Highland, Calif./Citrus Valley HS).
"Gordie ran a really nice race for us," Radnoti said. "He ran a complete race where he was strong all the way through. In fact, all of our top five ran very strong races. The men are coming along and will be peaking at the right time for the conference meet. I'm proud of their effort."
