LODI, Calif. — Competing at the future site of the 2024 West Coast Conference Championships, the Pepperdine men's cross country team placed third and the women placed fourth at the Pacific Invitational on Friday evening.
Both teams experienced a jump in distance at the Micke Grove Golf Course: The men raced their first 8-kilometer race of the year, while the women ramped up to a 6-kilometer race for the first time. Across the two-kilometer loops of thick grass and rolling hills, both teams had solid results as they chased the Saint Mary's Gaels, which won both races individually and as a team.
The women's team placed fourth out of nine teams with 110 points behind Saint Mary's (38), UC Davis (40) and San Francisco (97). For the men, the Waves finished with 62 points — a mere point off of second-place UC Davis — while Saint Mary's won handily with 23 points thanks to putting all five scoring runners across the line in the top 13.
Once again, sophomore Gordy Nilsen led the way for the men with his 8K time of 25:18.8 as four of Pepperdine's top five runners finished in the top 20.
While freshman Elijah Gentry and Patrick Thomas led for the majority of the race, Nilsen's strong second-half racing paid off, as he moved into the top 10 on the final 2K loop. Thomas, who celebrated his birthday on Friday as well, led for the first two kilometers, then stayed consistent at the front of the chase pack to finish second for the Waves. Meanwhile, sophomore Dominic Silhol hung in the top 15 all race to eventually place third for Pepperdine with his time of 25:46.9. Gentry's aggressive start paid off as he went under 26 minutes for his first 8K (he finished in 25:52.2), then Kaleb McElfish rounded out the scoring runners by placing 43rd.
The women's team had two runners in the top 20, then saw three younger runners fight for the last two scoring spots.
For the seventh-straight race, sophomore Lizzy Crawford led the women's team with her time of 22:23.7. Despite taking out the race with the lead pack, Crawford battled through the final two laps for the third top-10 finish of her collegiate career. Staying in the top 20 throughout the race, Eden Mittelsdorf was Pepperdine's second finisher (and 16th overall) and managed to close the gap between her and Crawford down the stretch with her time of 22:28.7. Caroline Graham was Pepperdine's third runner by placing 36th, ushering a slew of Waves across the finish line less than 30 seconds later. Hannah Miller and Riley Burgess finished less than four seconds apart to round out the scoring runners, then Kennedy Duralde and Ashley Eagan rounded out the Waves' top seven.
Saint Mary's junior Kaylee Barnes won the women's race in 20:58.5, while Zane Jackson's time of 24:47.5 won the men's race.
After this week, the Waves head east to the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, which is shaping up to be the biggest race of the regular season for both teams. The race is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 4. A separate squad will compete at The Master's Invitational, held in Santa Clarita, Calif. on the same weekend.
