Event: Linfield Harrier Classic
Host: Linfield University
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024
Location: The Nines Golf Course, McMinnville, Ore.  
Live Results: PortlandPilots.com

Schedule of Events
Women's 4K: 10 a.m.
Men's 6K: 10:45 a.m.

THIS WEEK
• The No. 16 Portland Pilots men's and the women's cross country team will open their seasons this Saturday, Aug. 31 at The Nines Golf Course in McMinnville, Ore. in the Linfield Harrier Classic.
• The women's 4K will kick off the races at 10 a.m., with the men's 6K event following shortly after at 10:45 a.m.
• This will be the second consecutive year the Pilots have competed in this event.
• Last time the Pilot men and women competed in this meet, they placed first and fourth, respectively.
• Live results for the meet will be available at PortlandPilots.com.
• The Pilots men's team will feature 13 competitors at the Linfield Harrier Classic: Kevin Andrews, Evan Delacruz, Nico Grillo, Cohen Williams, Isaac McGill, Tommy Paltzer, Pedro Vazquez, Andrew Gannon, Anthony Giesch, Jacob Hupke, Gabriel Morrow, Nathan Stein and Canyon White. 
• The Pilots women's team will be represented by nine athletes at the Linfield Harrier Classic: Alexa Hague, Teresa Perez, Madison Griffith, Milan Hague, Katie Newton, Stina Pettersson, Tiahna Woodger, Brionna Holso and Avery Owen. 

THIS SEASON
• The Pilot men are ranked second in the NCAA West Regional Coaches Poll.
• Portland's women are coming in ranked sixth in the West Region.
• Nationally, the Pilots are ranked 16th in the country.
• The Pilots women were picked to finish second in the annual WCC Preseason Coaches Poll ahead of the 2024 season. The Pilots also had Laura Pellicoro, Maebh Richarson and Fleur Templier make the All-WCC Preseason Team.
• The Pilots men has been selected to finish first in the 2024 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll, sharing the top spot with Gonzaga. This marks the second year in a row that the Pilots have been chosen to finish first in the WCC Preseason Polls. Jona Bodirsky, Bradley Peloquin, and Matt Strangio named to the 2024 All-WCC Preseason Team
• The Pilot men added a total of 15 newcomers to the roster, including nine transfer students and six freshmen.
• Portland's women welcomed 10 incoming freshmen to the roster. 

LAST SEASON
• Matt Strangio was named the 2023 WCC Runner of the Year.
• The Pilot men finished 23rd at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, led by Strangio in 76th place, outperforming their 24th place ranking. After starting in 29th at the 2,000-meter mark, the team gradually moved up to 23rd by the 9,000-meter mark and maintained that position through the finish. Strangio's time of 30:21.2 was impressive for his first NCAA Championship, while teammates Danny Abdala (117th) and Jona Bodirsky (124th) also showed strong performances in their national debut.
• At the 2023 NCAA Cross Country Championships, Pellicoro finished 41st, completing the 6K in 20:06.820:06.8, just a tenth of a second away from finishing in the top 40 and earning All-American status
• Strangio finished second overall at the NCAA West Regional Championships, earning his second consecutive All-Region honors and helping the Pilots secure third place with 125 points.  Danny Abdala and Jona Bodirsky also earned their first All-Region honors with 18th and 20th place finishes, as they worked together to move up throughout the race, ultimately finishing strong in the top 50.
• Pellicoro earned her second consecutive All-West Region honors by finishing seventh overall, leading the Pilots to a sixth place team finish with 177 points, alongside Fleur Templier, who finished 19th. Pellicoro ran near the front throughout the race, ultimately finishing in 19:24.7, while Templier secured her fastest 6K time of 20:01.8 by moving up from 50th place. 
• At the 2023 NCAA West Regional Championships, the Pilot men secured a third place finish, while the Pilot women finished sixth.
• Strangio won the individual title at the 2023 WCC Cross Country Championships with a time of 24:08.1, leading the Pilots to a second place overall finish. He ran a patient race, staying close to the leaders before making a decisive move in the final stages to secure victory, marking the first individual win for the Pilots since 2018. Danny Abdala finished seventh in 24:49.0, earning first-team All-WCC honors, while Nolan Hosbein placed 13th in 25:15.2, securing an All-WCC honorable mention. The Pilots' scoring five was completed by Teddy Buckley and Dalton Kaines in 17th and 18th places, and the team finished second overall with 56 points, just behind Gonzaga's 44 points.
• Chris Anderson led the Pilot men with a second-place finish in 24:04.8, followed closely by Cohen Williams and Dalton Kaines, who achieved PRs in seventh and eighth places, respectively. Isaac McGill finished tenth in his second fastest 8K, while Lakelin Conrad was the final scorer in thirteenth, also achieving a personal best, with several other Pilots also showing strong performances.
• Tiahna Woodger led the Pilot women with a seventh-place finish in a personal best time of 21:18.9, which is nearly 90 seconds faster than her previous best. Stina Pettersson followed closely in eighth place with a personal best of 21:24.2, while Tait Rowley, Izzy Lochtefeld, and Katie Newton rounded out the scoring five with strong performances, all achieving PRs.
• The Pilot men secured the victory at the George Oja Linfield Invitational while Pilot women finish second overall.
• Pellicoro was the top finisher for the Pilots at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, placing 25th overall and leading the team to a 23rd place finish, just ahead of No. 14 North Carolina and No. 26 New Mexico. Freshman Templier followed in 95th place, passing the most athletes during the race, while Courtney Klatt, Maebh Richardson, and Janelle Avilez rounded out the scoring five in 108th, 143rd, and 161st places, respectively.
• Danny Abdala was the top finisher for the Pilots at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, placing 95th overall with a time of 24:21.5, and he passed 97 runners during the race, helping the team secure a 30th place finish. Following Abdala, Jona Bodirsky finished 99th, with Jonas Gertsen, Thomas Chaston, and Nate Lantz rounding out the scoring members in 131st, 163rd, and 180th places, respectively.
• The Pilots men's team finished 30th at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, while the women's team placed 23rd.
• Pilots women finished sixth at the 48th Annual Charles Bowles Invitational with 137 points, led by Stina Pettersson's personal record of 17:41.4 in the 5,000 meters. All remaining Pilot scorers, including Tait Rowley, Izzy Lochtefeld, Katie Newton, Madison Griffith, and Milan Hague, also achieved PRs during the race.
• Cohen Williams was named the WCC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week after his sixth-place finish at the Charles Bowles Invitational, where he set a personal record of 24:25.0. This marks the second consecutive week Williams has been a scoring member for the Pilots, following his performance at the Bill Dellinger Invitational.
nn• Pilots men finished fifth with 124 points, led by Cohen Williams, who set a personal best of 24:25.0. Seven Pilots, including Williams, achieved personal records, contributing to the team's strong performance.
• Pilots women finished sixth with 137 points, led by Stina Pettersson's personal best of 17:41.4 in the 5,000 meters. All the Pilot scorers, including Tait Rowley, Izzy Lochtefeld, Katie Newton, and Madison Griffith, achieved personal records during the race.
• The Pilot men finished fifth, and the Portland women finished sixth at the Charles Bowles Invitational.
• Pilots men finished sixth overall at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, led by Nate Lantz who finished 11th overall in a PR of 24:07.6.
• Laura Pellicoro was named the WCC's Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week after finishing seventh at the challenging Roy Griak Invitational with a time of 21:12.5. Her strong finish helped lead the Pilots to a fourth-place overall at the meet.
• Danny Abdala's led the Pilots men with 12th place finish with a time of 24:35.4. The Pilots ran conservatively but surged in the final three kilometers, with Abdala, Bodirsky, and Strangio finishing 12th, 13th, and 14th.
• Pilots women were led by All-American Laura Pellicoro, who placed seventh with a time of 21:12.5. The team established themselves in the top five from the start, with strong performances from newcomers Maebh Richardson (18th, 21:43.1) and Janelle Avilez (27th, 21:56.5), as Richardson notably passed 32 athletes during the race.
• Both the Pilots men and women finished fourth at Roy Griak Invitational.
• Pilots men won the Oak Knoll Loop Run with 21 points, significantly ahead of Corban University, which finished second with 49 points. Lakelin Conrad led the team with a personal best time of 25:08, followed by Brady Martisus (fifth, 25:17.3), Connor Kennedy (seventh, 25:31.5), Evan DeLaCruz (eighth, 25:33.7), and Steven Durr (tenth, 25:37.2).
• Pilots women finished a close second overall in the Oak Knoll Loop Run with a score total of 41 points, getting edged out by cross-town rival Portland State who finished with 40 points. All 7 runners earned themselves PRs. Stina Pettersson, who led among the Pilots, finished third overall in a personal record of 22:07.8.
• The Pilots raced at the Oak Knoll Loop Run hosted by Willamette. Pilots men claimed victory, while Pilots women placed second.
• Hazell was named WCC Runner of the Week for his team leading efforts.
• The Pilot men started off with a strong finish in their first outing of the 2023 season, finishing first overall in 23 points at the Linfield Harrier Classic. Eliason Kabasenche finished second overall in the Men's 6,000 meter race with a time of 18:19.5, followed by Dalton Kaines in third at 18:20.6, while Paul Law (fifth, 18:26.0), Nate Lantz (sixth, 18:26.2), and Isaac McGill (seventh, 18:27.8) completed the Pilots' scoring five.
• The Pilot women opened their season at the Linfield Harrier Classic with a fourth-place finish (88 points) in 2023 season, led by Tiahna Woodger who finished ninth overall.

PILOT HISTORY
The Pilot men have qualified for the NCAA Cross Country National Championships 24 times, 19 of which have been top-20 finishes under head coach Rob Conner. In 2017, the team finished an astounding second and in 2018, the team finished in a respectable third. The Pilot women have qualified for the NCAA Cross Country National Championship four time times, with a highest finish of 12th under coach Ian Solof.

COACHES' ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Rob Conner, in his 34th season as head coach of the Portland Pilots' men's cross country and track & field programs, has made a significant impact, guiding the team to 24 NCAA Cross Country Championships appearances, ten Top 10 finishes, and 50 All-America honors. His leadership has resulted in a program-best runner-up finish in 2017 and a third place at the 2018 NCAA Championships. Coach Conner has also led the Pilots to 34 WCC cross country titles and has earned seven West Region Coach of the Year awards and eight WCC Coach of the Year honors. His contributions were recently recognized with his induction into the West Coast Conference Hall of Honor class of 2024.
Ian Solof, a former standout cross country runner at the University of Portland, has been coaching the Pilot women's distance running team since 1995. Under his guidance, the team has reached significant milestones, including a national ranking of No. 5 in 2016 and a 12th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Cross Country Championships. Coach Solof has coached several All-Americans and has been named West Coast Conference Coach of the Year seven times. His leadership has played a key role in the Pilots securing 20 WCC conference titles, establishing him as one of the program's most successful coaches.

PILOTS IN THE POLLS
• In the NCAA DI Cross Country National Coaches Preseason Polls, the Portland men were ranked 16th overall.
• In the West Region Rankings, the men are currently second in the region, while the women sit at sixth.