SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Matt Strangio finished second overall at the NCAA West Regional Championships, earning his second all-region honors in a row. His second place finish helped lead the Pilots to a third place finish overall with 125 points, defeating CBU in a tie breaker. Their third place finish would qualify the Pilots for the NCAA Cross Country Championships, making this the 19th time out of the last 21 years that the Pilots have qualified. Strangio's time of 28:59.5 was the second fastest in course history, nearly 30 seconds ahead of the previous course record of 29:28.5. Matt Strangio (second), Danny Abdala (18th, 29:41.0) and Jona Bodirsky (20th, 29:41.2) all earned All-region honors for their top-25 finishes.

 

The regional meet has been hosted by Sacramento State six times, with the course being thoroughly raced by All-Americans and NCAA greats. Strangio's time of 28:59.5 made him the second athlete in course history to break 29 minutes, only behind Stanford's Ky Robinson who won the race in 28:55.6. Robinson competed internationally at the 2022 Commonwealth Games for Australia in the 10,000 meter event, finishing sixth in 27:44.33. He also swept the 5,000 and 10,000 events at the last NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Strangio's second place finish improved upon his 18th place finish from last year, while also establishing a strong trend for the Pilots. 

 

Danny Abdala and Jona Bodirsky earned their first all-region honors of their careers with their 18th and 20th place finishes, respectively. A trio of Abdala, Bodirsky, and Jonas Gertsen (29:56.2), established themselves well within the top-50 during the early stages of the race. The three worked together to move up throughout each stage of the race, passing athletes during almost every stage before finishing 18th, 20th and 33rd, respectively. 

The Pilots' final scorer was Nolan Hosbein who finished 53rd in a time of 30:24.7. Hosbein was followed closely by Thomas Chaston in 57th (30:29.2) and Teddy Buckley in 116th (31:35.0). The tiebreaker between CBU and Portland would take place once Hosbein had crossed the line, forcing the NCAA to compare the head-to-head finishes of the Pilots and the Lancers. After analyzing the finishes of each team's 1-5, the Pilots would come out on top in the tiebreaker with a margin of 3-2, earning their third place finish and national berth in the process.

 

Team and Individual results will be posted below. For more coverage and info, visit PortlandPilots.com. 

 

Team Results—10K

1. Stanford, 73 

2. Gonzaga, 98 

3. Portland, 125 

4. CBU, 125 

5. Washington, 129 

6. Boise State, 142 

7. Oregon, 197 

8. Cal Poly, 215 

9. Santa Clara, 244 

10. Cal State Fullerton, 352 

11. Loyola Marymount, 362 

12. California, 366 

13. Washington State, 382 

14. San Francisco, 419 

15. Arizona, 434 

16. UC Riverside, 438 

17. UC Santa Barbara, 454 

18. Idaho, 474 

19. UC Davis, 500 

20. UCLA, 508 

21. Long Beach State, 517 

22. UC Irvine, 539 

23. St. Mary's, 575 

24. Pepperdine, 629 

25. Eastern Washington, 630 

26. CSUN, 723 

27. Portland State, 781 

28. Seattle U, 789 

29. San Diego, 920

 

Portland Individual Men - 10K

2. Matt Strangio* (28:59.5) 

18. Danny Abdala* (29:41.0) PR

20. Jona Bodirsky* (29:41.2) PR

33. Jonas Girtsen (29:56.2) 

53. Nolan Hosbein (30:24.7) PR

57. Thomas Chaston (30:29.2) 

116. Teddy Buckley (31:35.0) PR

 

*Denotes All-Region Honors