BREA, California – Led by senior Karl Winter's first-place overall finish, the Pepperdine men's cross country team had a strong start to the 2021 season, with a second-place team result at Cal State Fullerton's Mark Covert Classic on Saturday morning. This marks the best finish at the Mark Covert Classic in Waves' history. 

The men's team took second out of 18 teams in the event (and was second out of Division I teams) held at Carbon Canyon Regional Park. The Waves had three runners in the top 15, with Kyle McCabe in fifth place and Jackson Felkins in 14th (eighth among Division I runners).

Freshman Eden Mittelsdorf led the Waves for the women with her 40th-place finish in her college debut. The women took 10th place out of 14 teams (fifth among Division I teams).

MEN'S 8K LEADERS

• Senior Karl Winter (Stockton, Calif. /Saint Mary's HS), 1st place, 24:49.7
• Senior Kyle McCabe (Westminster, Colo./Holy Family HS), 5th place, 24:59.1
• Senior Jackson Felkins (Southlake, Texas/Carroll Senior HS), 14th place, 25:20.2
• Sophomore Johnathan Flint (Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound HS), 30th place, 26:00.6
• Freshman Elias Spence (Shippensburg, Pa./Shippensburg Area Senior HS), 34th place, 26:05.3

WOMEN'S 5K LEADERS 

• Freshman Eden Mittelsdorf (Nashville, Tenn./Brentwood HS), 40th place, 19:39.9
• Freshman Megan La Camera (Burbank, Calif./Burbank HS), 50th place, 19:53.9
• Junior Skyler Danley (Easton, Pa./Easton Area HS), 54th place 19:59.4
• Senior Riley Wright (Chandler, Ariz./Corona Del Sol HS), 57th place, 20:04.6
• Junior Olivia Miller (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles HS), 66th place, 20:15.4

QUOTABLE
 
Karl Winter said: "I entered the race with the plan of competing for the win. It's a tough course but I was able to work with my teammates Kyle and Jackson for the first 5K or so. I took the lead with about a mile and a half to run and from there it was a mental battle to hold off the other runners. The race was a confidence boost as we enter the rest of the season and it was exciting to get my first cross country win since high school."

"This was a great way for us to shake off some rust and gauge our fitness. We have a lot of work to do but I'm proud of how we competed and worked as a team. This was a good start for us. We have four underclassmen in the top seven and they're all improving rapidly."

Eden Mittelsdorf said: "The race went pretty well! I loved working with the team and pushing each other just like we do in practice. It was a fun season opener and I cannot wait to see how the team performs as we get deeper into the season! "

Head Coach Lauren Floris said: "Today was a great start to the season for both squads. Karl, Kyle and Jackson worked together from the start and it was awesome to see their teamwork lead to Karl's win. On the women's side freshmen Eden and Megan had strong showings. They've been a great addition to the team and I'm looking forward to how the ladies' team grows together this season."

UP NEXT
 
Pepperdine's second meet of the season is the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, September 18.