PORTLAND, Ore.---Portland runners Matt Strangio and Laura Pellicoro each collected first-place victories in the men's 6K and women's 4K, respectively, at the PSU Rust Buster held at Westmoreland Park on Friday afternoon. Both athletes were making their first appearances for the Portland cross country programs this season.
 
The 16th-ranked Portland men finished at the top of the table with 19 total points to defeat the Portland State Vikings. Strangio nabbed the overall win in a time of 17:41.5 in his debut in a 6K race. Bradley Peloquin crossed next for the Pilots in a time of 17:49.4, good for second-place in the event. Leo Donlea came in fourth at 17:59.4, Chris Morzenti was fifth in 18:00.6, and John Kavulich registered a new personal record of 18:16.6 to round out the Pilots' scorers and notch seventh-place overall.
 
"Mission accomplished!" said men's head coach Rob Conner. "We got some young guys a good test effort and they looked great."
 
The Portland women—who are currently receiving votes in the national poll—finished second in the team scores at the meet, only behind No. 22 Oregon State. Pellicoro finished ahead of three OSU runners while clocking in at 13:05.8 for the individual win. Veerle Bakker was the next Pilot finisher in fifth-place at 13:44.2, and Mie Gam recorded a time of 14:09.2 for 12th. Ellie Erikson grabbed the 20th-place spot in a time of 14:32.2, and Teresa Perez's 14:39.9 made her the final Portland scorer in the race at 22nd-place.
 
"This was a great performance for Laura and the team against the #22 school in the nation," said women's head coach Ian Solof. "When we run our full varsity in a few weeks we should be very good. I was really proud of everyone's effort and the great finishes over the last 300 meters."
 
The Pilots men's and women's cross country teams will have a short break before gearing up for the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Springfield, Ore. on Thursday, September 23rd.
 
PSU Rust Buster
Westmoreland Park
September 3, 2021
 
Men's Team Results – 6K
1. No. 16 Portland 19
2. Portland State 39
 
Portland Individual Men
1. Matt Strangio (17:41.5) PR
2. Bradley Peloquin (17:49.4) PR
4. Leo Donlea (17:59.4) PR
5. Chris Morzenti (18:00.6) PR
7. John Kavulich (18:16.6) PR
8. Chris Anderson (18:22.3) PR
 
Women's Team Results – 4K
1. No. 22 Oregon State 23
2. (RV) Portland 46
3. Portland State 65
4. Pacific (Ore.) 116
 
Portland Individual Women
1. Laura Pellicoro (13:05.8) PR
5. Veerle Bakker (13:44.2) PR
12. Mie Gam (14:09.2) PR
15. McKenna Smith (14:20.5) PR
20. Ellie Erikson (14:32.2) PR
22. Teresa Perez (14:39.9) PR
23. Evelyn Collins-Winn (14:42.0) PR