University of Puget Sound’s cross country team had an average season. They consistently placed in the middle of most of their meets and they weren’t able to meet their goal of finishing in the top half of the conference. According to coach Mike Orechia, the reason the team had an average season is because “the men’s team was very young. They made tremendous progress and we are excited about the future. The women suffered from sickness at the wrong time of the year.”
Despite these unfortunate set-backs there were some notable individual performances throughout the year. On the women’s team senior Marnie Hazlehurst (Portland, Ore.) led the team on many occasions and placed 17th in the NWC. Freshman Kathryn Flyte (West Linn, Ore.), junior Cara Gillespie (Boise, Idaho), and senior Hayley Walker (Cambria, Calif.) were also big team contributors. Flyte placed 26th in the NWC, followed by Gillespie in 48th place.
The top runners on the men’s team include freshmen Robin Harkins (Eureka, Calif.) and Wesley Finger (Deming, Wash.) and juniors Casey Wall (Portland, Ore.) and Robert Snowden (Eugene, Ore.). In the NWC Harkins placed 11th, Finger 31st, and Snowden came in 57th.
“Freshman Robin Harkins qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships this weekend. We have had at least one athlete qualify for the national championships in all fourteen years that I have been at Puget Sound,” Coach Orechia said.
The cross country team is looking forward to improved competitiveness next year and another shot at finishing in the top half of the conference.