SALEM, Ore. – Eastern Oregon men's and women's cross country delivered standout performances on Saturday at Willamette University's 50th annual Charles Bowles Invitational.
Both teams placed 10th overall in a deep and talented field that included numerous NCAA Division I programs and NAIA Top-25 teams. Despite the elite competition, the Mountaineers held their own, highlighted by program-record times, major head-to-head wins, and breakout individual efforts.
The No. 16-ranked EOU women emerged as the second-best NAIA team in the race, trailing only No. 8 College of Idaho, while comfortably beating No. 20 Southern Oregon by 50 points. With a team score of 301, the Mounties' top five runners combined for the sixth-fastest team time in program history.
Leading the way was
Riley Morris, who placed 26th overall with a time of 18:02.7, good for 10th all-time in Eastern history and among the fastest ever for her current class. She was followed closely by
Kaleah Hines, who took 39th at 18:16.9, a time that ranks 18th all-time for the Mountaineers and also in the top-10 for her class. Rounding out the top five scorers were
Kiah Carlson (71st, 18:52.4),
Taylor Redick (99th, 19:21.1), and
Mattie Woodbury (103rd, 19:22.7).
On the men's side, EOU's unranked squad turned in a performance that's sure to catch the attention of the next national poll. The Mounties finished ahead of No. 9 Corban and came just three points short of No. 11 Trinity Western, scoring 287 as a team.
Thomas Ogden headlined the day with a 21st-place finish in a time of 24:24.2, placing him 10th in EOU history and eighth for his class. He was followed by
Hunter Marlatt (53rd, 25:09.6),
Grady Greenwood (71st, 25:25.4),
Trevor Nichols (74th, 25:27.2), and
Darian Slack (101st, 25:50.1).
Saturday's results mark a significant upward trend for Eastern Oregon, as both teams look to build on the momentum heading into their next race. The Mountaineers will compete at the Lewis-Clark State Warrior Invite on Saturday, October 11.
