BELLINGHAM, WA — Both Cross Country teams went north to Sudden Valley Golf Course to compete in the 2024 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships this past weekend.

The Men kicked off the competition in the 8K at 10:00 AM, where Elijah Dale would be the highest-placing Saint on the day with an impressive time of 26:14.00. His 44th-place finish would be the best mark from a Saint Martin's racer all weekend. Noe Ortega would finish strong at 58th place with a time of 27:09.80 and Timmy Higgins would finish just a few seconds later at 27:20.40. Ethan Coon would be the last one to complete the race in under 28 minutes, while freshmen Matthus Andersen and Jordan Pacheco-Mendez, along with sophomore Aric Jacklin would respectably finish the day by challenging some of their better splits from the regular season. The team as a whole would finish ninth out of nine schools.

The Women's team would compete shortly after the Men, with Kya Ramirez leading the way for the Saints. The senior would finish in 52nd place with a time of 23:55.70 in a solid performance. Olivia Mitchell, Mira Jayarama, and Ruby Bryntesen would all finish the race in under 26 minutes while Charis Deitemeyer and Taylor Ames would round out the weekend by crossing the finish line in under 28. The Women's team would finish tenth out of ten schools. 

First-year head coach Gabriel Trimbur is optimistic about the program's outlook going forward:

"I'm incredibly proud of this group of athletes. It wasn't the outcome we wanted as a unit, but when we came together as a relatively new team at the start of the season we set goals to begin developing a positive team culture that we're looking to build on and to find the excitement in racing again! I encouraged these runners to reflect on two things that went well for them in their individual races and then think about one thing they'd like to improve on as we head into our final competition of the season and look to indoor and outdoor track. They have a lot to be proud of this year and we're all excited to build on the foundation we've set together."

The Men's team expects to compete in the NCAA DII West Regional meet in Billings, Montana while the Women's team still awaits their decision.