Event: Lewis & Clark XC Opener
Host: Lewis & Clark College
Date: Friday, Aug. 29, 2025
Location: Milo McIver State Park, Estacada, Ore. 
Live Results: PortlandPilots.com

Schedule of Events
Women's 5K: 9:30 a.m.
Men's 5K: 10:00 a.m.

THIS WEEK
• The RV Portland Pilots men's and the women's cross country team will open their seasons this Friday, Aug. 29 at Lewis & Clark XC Opener in Estacada, Ore.
• The women's 5K will kick off the races at 9:30 a.m., with the men's 5K event following shortly after at 10 a.m.
• Live results for the meet will be available at PortlandPilots.com.
• The Pilots men's team will feature seven competitors: Juan Diego Conteras, Hugh Kent, Matthew Cordova, Andrew Gannon, Colin Penuel, Xander Penaflor and Sam Regez.
• The Pilots women's team will be represented by 10 athletes: Janelle Avilez, Tehya Bailey, Camryn Bishoff, Josie Blackwell, Ava Borsheim, Madi Callo, Julia Ferreira, Madison Griffith, Kate Kabenina and Avery Owen.
THIS SEASON
• The Pilot men are ranked sixth in the NCAA Preseason West Regional Coaches Poll while the women are coming in ranked ninth.
• Nationally, the Pilot men received votes.
• The Pilots women were picked to finish third in the annual WCC Preseason Coaches Poll ahead of the 2025 season with Maebh Richardson making the All-WCC Preseason Team.
• The Pilots men has been selected to finish first in the 2025 WCC Preseason Coaches Poll. This marks the third year in a row that the Pilots have been chosen to finish first in the WCC Preseason Polls. KG Monyebodi, Jonas Price, and Cameron Stein named to the 2025 All-WCC Preseason Team.
• Portland's women added 17 incoming freshmen to the roster while Pilot men welcomed one freshman to the Bluff.

LAST SEASON
• Head Coach Rob Conner has been named the WCC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year, marking his ninth time earning this prestigious honor.
• Matt Strangio has been recognized as the WCC Co-Runner of the Year for his outstanding performance, securing the title for the second consecutive year.
• Laura Pellicoro and Matt Strangio earned All-American honors at NCAA Cross Country Championships. This marked the first time since 2018 that Portland had both men's and women's runners achieve All-American honors.
• Matt Strangio and Laura Pellicoro earned spots at the NCAA Cross Country Championships by finishing as top-four individuals at Regionals among runners not on automatic-qualifying teams; Strangio secured second place, while Pellicoro claimed third. This marks Strangio's second consecutive appearance and Pellicoro's third in a row at the national meet.
• The Pilot men finished fifth at the NCAA West Regionals, with four runners earning spots in the Top 30. Strangio and Bodirsky received All-Region honors for their second and 18th-place finishes, respectively.
• The Pilot women claimed fifth at the NCAA West Regionals, with four runners finishing in the Top 30. Laura Pellicoro and Fleur Templier earned All-Region honors for their eight and 11th-place finishes, respectively.
• The top 10 finishers in each race earned All-WCC First Team honors, while those placing 11th through 15th received All-WCC Second Team accolades. Strangio, Bodirsky, Peloquin, Gertsen, and Monyebodi each secured All-WCC First Team honors, while Cameron Stein, who placed 15th with a time of 24:07.8, earned All-WCC Second Team recognition.
• The Pilot men clinched the team title at the WCC Championships with all five runners finishing in the top 10. Matt Strangio led the team, placing second with a time of 23:12.0. Also in the top five were Jona Bodirsky in fourth (23:35.7) and Bradley Peloquin in fifth (23:36.7). Jonas Gertsen finished seventh (23:41.6), and Kgadi Monyebodi took ninth (23:50.7). This was the Pilots' first title since 2014 and their 35th Conference championship overall.
• Four Pilots finished in the top 10, earning All-WCC First Team honors. Fleur Templier led the team, finishing second with a time of 20:03.6. Laura Pellicoro was close behind in fourth place at 20:07.6. Maebh Richardson and Juliette Forstrom also made it into the top 10, finishing ninth and 10th with times of 20:22.4 and 20:23.8, respectively.
• At the WCC Championships, the Pilot women secured second-place team finish. Last year's Freshman of the Year, Fleur Templier, led the Pilots with a second-place finish in 20:03.6.
• In Week 7, Bradley Peloquin was named WCC Men's Cross Country Runner of The Week for his outstanding performance at the George Oja Linfield Invitational. Peloquin dominated the race with a first-place finish in 23:52.2.
• The Pilots men dominated the George Oja Linfield Invitational with a first-place finish of 19 points overall — 62 points ahead of CCC Elite's second-place finish of 81 points, four runners finishing in the top 10.
• The Pilot women secured a second-place team finish at the George Oja Linfield Invitational, three runners finishing in the top 10. Teresa Perez led the team with a fourth-place finish in 20:57.10 PR.
• The No. 28 Portland Pilots men secured fifth place overall at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, held at Pine Ridge Golf Club. Senior Estanis Ruiz led the Pilots, finishing 21st with a time of 23:38.9 PR.
• The Pilot women finished fifth place overall at the Charles Bowles Invitational. The Pilots top finisher, Brionna Holso secured 14th-place finish in 17:54.6 PR.
• The Pilot men secured sixth-place team finish at the Charles Bowles Invitational. Dalton Kaines led the Pilots with a top-10 finish in 24:20.5.
• In Week 4, Matt Strangio was named the Credit Union 1 WCC Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week for his outstanding performance at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, achieving the highest finish by a Pilot runner since 2018.
• The No. 28 Portland Pilots men finished 14th overall at the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, a 16-spot improvement from their 30th-place finish last year. The Pilots' top finisher, Matt Strangio, placed 11th with a time of 23:35.2, marking his best finish at Nuttycombe to date.
• At the Nuttycombe Wisconsin Invitational, the Pilot women claimed 22nd place overall. Fleur Templier crossed the line in 23rd-place in 20:37.4, making her the Pilot's top finisher.
• At the Cascade Collegiate Conference Preview, both Pilot Men and Women secured second-place finish.
• The Pilot men claimed second place overall with 33 points, trailing behind the College of Idaho with just two points. All five scoring runners placed in the top 10.
• The Pilot women scored 46 points with three runners finishing in the top 10 to secure a team second-place result.
• In Week 2, both Pilot Men and Women's Cross Country dominated the Green River Gator Invitational.
• The Pilot men secured the overall team title with the top-five sweep, totaling 15 points — 59 points ahead of Western Washington's second-place finish of 74 points.
• The Pilot women won the overall team title with four Pilots runners in the top five, totaling 25 points, surpassing Western Washington's second-place finish of 50 points.
• Both Pilot Men and Women's Cross Country opened their season with a win at the Linfield Harrier Classic.
• The Pilot men clinched the overall team title with five runners in the top 10, totaling 20 points — 55 points ahead of Corban's second-place finish of 75 points.
• The Pilot women claimed the overall team title with a total of 31 points, surpassing Oregon State's second-place finish of 42 points. Four Pilot runners finished in the top 10.
• Nationally, Portland Pilots men's cross country team are ranked 16th in the country and second in the NCAA West Regional Coaches Poll.
• The 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 men have 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 picked first in the WCC Preseason Polls. Jona Bodirsky, Bradley Peloquin and Matt Strangio were named to the 2024 All-WCC Preseason Team.

PILOT HISTORY
The Portland men's cross country team has made 24 appearances at the NCAA Championships, with 19 of those resulting in top-20 team finishes under longtime head coach Rob Conner. Their most impressive performances came in back-to-back years, placing second in 2017 and third in 2018. On the women's side, the Pilots have qualified for the national meet four times, highlighted by a program-best 12th-place finish led by head coach Ian Solof.

COACHES' ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Rob Conner enters his 35th year leading Portland's men's cross country and track & field programs. During his tenure, the Pilots have earned 24 NCAA Championship berths, 10 Top-10 national finishes, and 51 All-America honors. Conner guided the team to a program-best second place in 2017 and a third place in 2018, while also collecting 35 WCC titles. He has been named West Region Coach of the Year seven times and WCC Coach of the Year ninth times. In 2024, Conner was inducted into the WCC Hall of Honor before leading Portland to another championship title and receiving WCC Men's Cross Country Coach of the Year recognition in the Fall.

Since 1995, Ian Solof has directed the Pilot women's distance program, bringing consistent success and growth. A former standout runner for Portland himself, Solof has guided the women's team to milestones such as a No. 5 national ranking in 2016 and a 12th-place finish at the 2018 NCAA Championships. His teams have captured 20 WCC titles, while several of his athletes have achieved All-America status. Solof's achievements have earned him WCC Coach of the Year honors seven times, underscoring his role as one of the program's most accomplished leaders.

PILOTS IN THE POLLS
• In the NCAA DI Cross Country National Coaches Preseason Polls, the Portland men received votes.
• In the West Region Rankings, the men are currently sixth in the region, while the women sit at ninth.
 

---

 Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App.  For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.
 
Donate Today
Fans interested in making a contribution to the Pilot Athletic Fund can do so by clicking here. Your gift directly helps our nearly 300 student-athletes as they strive to make a difference in our community and achieve academic and athletic excellence. Thank you for support of Pilot Athletics!
 
Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.