Cross Country Runs at WCC Championships on Saturday
10/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
MALIBU, Calif. -- After months of training and preparation, the championship season has arrived for the Pepperdine cross country teams. The Waves will run at the West Coast Conference Championships this Saturday in Spokane, Wash.
Hosted by Gonzaga at Plantes Ferry Park, the women's 6K will be held at 10 a.m. and the men's 8K will take place at 11 a.m. Both races will be shown live by TheW.tv.
After this meet, the Waves will compete at the NCAA West Regional Championships on Nov. 13 in Seattle, Wash.
"We're really excited," Pepperdine Coach Robert Radnoti said. "Our men's team is really primed for a good championship run. The men's team is poised to make some good significant gains this year. On the women's side, Katie Engel is running really strong and her goal is to be in the top 15 so she can be on the podium."
Engel (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima HS) has been the Waves' top runner for the better part of the past three years, came in 30th at last year's WCC Championships. She has recorded three top-four finishes this fall, including a third place at the Aztec Invitational and a fourth place at the Highlander Invitational.
Pepperdine's men are in their second consecutive year without a senior, but they'll send a fairly experienced group to Washington. However, it's been a freshman that has led the squad this season. Nick Heath (Scotts Valley, Calif./Scotts Valley HS) led the Waves at each of the first four races, including a third place at the Aztec Invitational and a fourth place at the Capital Cross Challenge.
Pepperdine will be looking to improve upon ninth-place finishes of a year ago at the WCC Championships.
