RESULTS
(MONMOUTH, Ore.)
Maddie Reeves finished fourth individually at the NCAA West Regional in a school-record 6K time, as PLNU Women's Cross Country placed sixth as a team for its best finish at the regional meet since 2018.
"Today was bittersweet for our group," Director of Cross Country and Track & Field Jake Poyner said. "We competed really well in the second half of the race to make up for poor positioning early and surpassed external projections heading into the meet."
Reeves crossed the finish line in a time of 20:32.82, earning All-West Region honors for the second-consecutive season.
She earns an automatic qualification to the national meet and will represent Point Loma at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Reeves' fourth-place finish at the regional is the best ever by a Sea Lion, and she is the first PLNU individual qualifier for nationals since Hannah Benoit Bucher in 2017.
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Maddie Reeves ran an exceptional race today to secure her first trip to cross country nationals," Poyner said. "She's been consistent and dependable upfront all year long, and her concrete commitment to put herself in contention for the individual title is a reflection of her work ethic and belief in this team. We look forward to nationals in two weeks."
Zaila Smith (21:31.53) was next for the Sea Lions in 43rd, followed by
Jocelyn Gibson (21:49.07) in 60th.
Bree Gentry (21:51.58) was close behind in 63rd, while
Elizabeth Satterlee (70th – 21:55.55) and
Michelle Ramos (71st – 21:57.51) finished in back-to-back spots to round out the team's scoring five.
Making Point Loma's sixth-place finish all the more impressive was the team being in 12th place after 1K. The Sea Lions were seeded ninth out of the 28 teams competing.
"Unfortunately, we just didn't get out aggressively enough as a team and struggled to be where we believed we were capable of being by the time we ran out of real estate," Poyner said. "I take responsibility for that mistake and I'm eager to go back to the drawing board with our coaching staff in preparation for next year."
Poyner highlighted the performances of Gentry and Ramos.
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Michelle Ramos and
Bree Gentry ran in the 21's for the first time in their careers, which is a fun benchmark to acknowledge," Poyner said.
Saturday's race was the last cross country meet for four of the team's five seniors.
"We are unequivocally proud of our five seniors who competed today and the awesome legacy they continue to leave here on The Point," Poyner said. "I could not be more grateful to coach this group of women, and the track season will be an exciting one for this crew."
Reeves will now gear up for nationals, as the rest of the team shifts its focus to track & field season.
Last month, PLNU Women's Cross Country also posted its best finish at the PacWest Championships since 2018, placing second.
