SACRAMENTO, Calif.---Anna Pataki, Laura Pellicoro, and Veerle Bakker each garnered All-West Region honors and the receiving-votes Pilots women's cross country team ran into fifth-place as a program at the NCAA West Regional meet at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex on Friday morning. The team finish ties Portland's best result at the meet, as the Pilots women placed fifth at both the 2016 and 2018 regional competitions.
 
Pataki and Pellicoro jumped into the front pack at the start of the 6K event, and kept pace with the group for the majority of the course. Pataki managed to get as far ahead as fourth-place at the 2.5 mile marker, eventually clocking in at 13th-place by the end in a time of 20:16.1. Pellicoro came in just behind in 16th-place at 20:19.8.
 
Veerle Bakker found her second-gear in the second half of the course, passing 31 others between the second and third splits, taking 19th at the finish line on the way to a new personal best of 20:26.9.
 
Emma Jenkins crossed next in 20:57.1 for 50th-place overall, and Samantha Prusse notched a new PR of 21:09.0 to nab 63rd and round out the Pilots' scorers.
 
Mie Gam Nielsen (21:50.4) and Anna-Sophie Meusburger (22:44.5) landed in the 107th and 161st positions, respectively.
 
"We were hoping for more but I'm really proud of the group," said head coach Ian Solof. "This ties our best regional finish and we also had three women earn All-Region. Veerle had a great day and executed her race perfectly."
 
The Pilots now await the 2021 cross country championship selections, which will be announced tomorrow, Saturday, November 13th, beginning at 2 p.m. (PT)
 
Team Results—6K
1. No. 26 Stanford (42)
2. No. 21 Washington (84)
3. No. 20 Oregon (100)
4. No. 29 Gonzaga 148
5. (RV) Portland (161)
6. (RV) San Francisco (202)
7. Oregon State (206)
8. (RV) Boise State (214)
9. UC Davis (259)
10. Cal State Fullerton (281)
11. Portland State (298)
12. Washington St. (317)
13. Idaho (329)
14. Cal Poly (394)
15. UCLA (450)
16. UC Irvine (455)
17. California (536)
18. Santa Clara (577)
19. Saint Mary's (580)
20. Sacramento St. (589)
21. Arizona State (639)
22. USC (639)
23. San Diego St. (661)
24. Long Beach St. (661)
25. UC Riverside (679)
26. Loyola Marymount (716)
27. UC Santa Barbara (773)
28. Eastern Washington (800)
29. Seattle U (846)
30. UNLV (851)
31. San Diego (877)
32. Pacific (941)
33. Pepperdine (962)
34. Hawaii (969)
35. CSUN (1137)
 
Portland Individual Women
13. Anna Pataki* (20:16.1)
16. Laura Pellicoro* (20:19.8)
19. Veerle Bakker* (20:26.9) PR
50. Emma Jenkins (20:57.1)
63. Samantha Prusse (21:09.0) PR
107. Mie Gam Nielsen (21:50.4)
161. Anna-Sophie Meusburger (22:44.5)
 
*All-West Region Honors