LAKE OSWEGO, Ore.---Portland's No. 16 men's and (RV) women's cross country teams each claimed second place at the Lewis & Clark Chase Race held at Lake Oswego Public Golf Course on Wednesday evening—the opening event for both programs in 2021. The Pilots finished only behind both Oregon squads, whose men rank fourth in the national preseason poll, while the Duck women are also receiving votes.
Redshirt sophomore Justin Hazell crossed first for the Portland men to nab second-place overall in the four mile race, coming in at a time of 19:20.0. Cameron Thompson was next to finish, clocking in at 19:47.5 for ninth-place individually. Kai Vickers (19:54.0), AJ Reyes (19:54.1), and Charlie McIntyre (19:59.3) collected 11th-13th to round out all Portland scorers.
"A great start by the team!" said men's head coach Rob Conner. " It was a really exciting race that came right down to the end. Justin was really impressive and led it to the wire. Our guys gave Oregon a good run for their money. It was really fun!"
Over on the women's side, Pilots veteran Lacey Conner took 11th-place overall in the three mile course, registering a time of 17:49.8 in her final Portland debut. Sophomore Lauren Block came in just behind to record 12th-place at 18:09.6, and junior Ellee Becker notched 14th-place with her time of 18:37.7. Grace Oswin and Grace Ritchie were the Pilots' last two scorers on the night, earning times of 18:45.1 and 18:59.1, respectively.
"This was a great first meet and our group ran hard and completed well," said women's head coach Ian Solof. "We will run a different group on Friday, but this is a great starting point for the season. "Lacey and Lauren both looked great leading the team today!"
Both Portland teams will be back in action later this week at the PSU Rust Buster on Friday, September 3. The men's 6K is slated for 2 p.m., with the women's 4K to follow at 2:30 p.m.
Lewis & Clark Chase Race
Lake Oswego, Ore.
September 1, 2021
Men's Team Results – 4M
1. No. 4 Oregon 24
2. No. 16 Portland 31
3. Lewis & Clark 90
4. George Fox 123
5. Corban 148
6. Pacific (Ore.) 178
Portland Individual Men
2. Justin Hazell (19:20.0)
9. Cameron Thompson (19:47.5)
11. Kai Vickers (19:54.0)
12. AJ Reyes (19:54.1)
13. Charlie McIntyre (19:59.3)
17. Jake Knoblich (20:03.0)
19. Paul Law (20:06.9)
23. Thomas Salas (20:19.2)
Women's Team Results – 3M
1. (RV) Oregon 15
2. (RV) Portland 64
3. George Fox 82
4. Multnomah 107
5. Lewis & Clark 118
6. Corban 167
Portland Individual Women
11. Lacey Conner (17:49.8)
12. Lauren Block (18:09.6)
14. Ellee Becker (18:37.7)
16. Grace Oswin (18:45.1)
21. Grace Ritchie (18:59.1)
27. Alexa Hague (19:29.2)
