WXC Schedule
Event: Ash Creek Festival - 5,000 Meters Collegiate
Host: Western Oregon University
Date: Friday, Sept. 12, 2025
Time: 5 PM (PST)
Location: Ash Creek Preserve, Monmouth, Ore.
Live Results: PortlandPilots.com

MXC Schedule
Event: Gator Cross - 6,000 Meters College
Host: Western Washington University
Date: Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025
Time: 11 AM (PST)
Location: Fort Steilacoom Park, Lakewood, Wash.
Live Results: PortlandPilots.com

THIS WEEK
• The Portland Pilots women's cross country team will compete in an 5,000 Meters Collegiate event at the Ash Creek Festival hosted by Western Oregon University on Friday, Sept. 12 at Ash Creek Preserve in Monmouth, Ore. The race is set for 5 p.m. (PST).
• The Pilots women's team will be represented by 17 athletes: Danica Allen, Giana Atkinson, Janelle Avilez, Tehya Bailey, Selena Bangerter, Camryn Bishoff, Josie Blackwell, Ava Borsheim, Madison Callo, Megan Crum, Julia Ferreira, Madison Griffith, Berlin Herrera, Lindsey Kaines, Abigail Kurgat, Izzy Lochtefeld and Avery MacDicken.
• The men's cross country team heads north for the Gator Cross, hosted by Western Washington University, on Saturday, Sept. 13 at Fort Steilacoom Park in Lakewood, Wash. The 6K race begins at 11 a.m. (PST).
• Live results for both meets will be available at PortlandPilots.com.

LAST WEEK
• Pilot runner Collin Penuel has been selected as the West Coast Conference Men's Cross Country Runner of the Week, announced by the Conference on Tuesday, Sept. 2^nd.
• The Portland Pilots men's cross country team opened their 2025 season with a second-place finish at the Lewis & Clark XC Opener on Friday morning at Milo McIver State Park. The Pilots scored 49 points as a team, placing behind Boise State (17) and ahead of Portland State (86). Portland's top finisher, Collin Penuel, claimed fourth overall with a personal-best time of 15:12.55 in the 5K. He was followed by Matthew Cordova in ninth (15:35.53 PR) and Hugh Kent in 10th (15:40.20). Andrew Gannon (12th, 15:47.49 PR) and Xander Penaflor (14th, 15:49.1) rounded out the Pilots' scoring five.
• The Portland Pilots women's cross country squad totaled 136 points on the day to open the 2025 season with a fourth-place team finish at the Lewis & Clark XC Opener on Friday at Milo McIver State Park. The Pilots were paced by a close group of finishers. Avery Owen led the way in 24th at 19:27.50, followed within seconds by Madison Griffith (25th, 19:27.83), Kate Kabenina (26th, 19:29.96), and Julia Ferreira (28th, 19:31.95). Janelle Avilez secured the fifth scoring spot for Portland in 33rd with a time of 19:46.80.
 
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.

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 Preseason Rankings, the men are currently sixth in the region, while the women sit at ninth.
 

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