Boxer XC runners have set new personal bests in their last two events
After participating in the Harrier Classic on September 4, Boxer men’s and women’s cross country did not have to wait long before their next race. Pacific took part in the Ash Creek invite in Monmouth, Ore. just a week later—and had multiple runners set personal best times; among them, grad student Ria Gill, who ran her 5k in a time of 18:15.6. This fantastic pace put her right at the top of the pack, placing fifth out of the 90 participants. Two other female freshman runners, Emily Davidson and Isabel Camp, also placed in the top 50. In the end, the women ended up finishing sixth out of 10 schools, which included multiple NCAA D1 participants—and boasting rights for scoring better than Linfield, Bushnell, and Lewis & Clark.
Over on the men’s side, the distances were slightly longer, up from 5k to 6k. Three Boxers all put on personal best times, including juniors Jacob Tilden and Tate Woodward, and freshman Colton Dodge. Tilden and Woodward had the fastest times among Pacific runners, finishing 31st and 44th respectively out of 98 runners. Overall, the Boxers placed eighth out of the 10 participating teams, beating Clark College and Corban.
More recently, the Boxers traveled to Spokane Valley for the Frank Knott Classic on October 3. This race was a longer distance for both teams, with the women running the 6k and men running the 8k. Ria Gill once again led the way for the women’s team, placing 37th out of over 175 competitors with a time of 22:41.3. Her run was over one and a half minutes quicker than the next Boxer. Freshman Davidson was the only other runner to crack the top 100, with a time of 24:11.6. This landed her in 86th place, a noteworthy accomplishment considering that this was her first 6k at Pacific. The women’s team ended up placing 12th out of 17th teams. They scored better than rivals Whitman, Lewis & Clark, Linfield, and Pacific Lutheran.
Two Boxers set their new personal best in the 8k run for the men. First was junior Jacob Tilden, who was the only Boxer with a sub 26 minute time, finishing at 25:57.1. This put Tilden in 76th place, an impressive ranking with over 200 runners in the men’s heat. He was followed closely by junior Peyton Fisher who came 78th, and then by Elias Bradbury, who set his 8k personal best. The sophomore beat his old record by over 12 seconds, finishing with a time of 26:35.6. Pacific finished 15th out of 18 teams, beating LaVerne, Linfield, and Pacific Lutheran.
Next for the Boxers is the George Oja Invitational at Linfield, October 17.
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