SALEM, Ore. – Three Westminster freshmen posted all-time top-10 marks Saturday at the 51st Charles Bowles Willamette XC Invitational, with the Griffin men finishing 16th and the women finishing 17th.

Race Breakdown

Men's 8K
A trio of freshmen led the Griffin men and each landed on the all-time list. Joaquin Stultz paced Westminster, finishing 84th overall in 25:53.9, the 4th-best mark on the all-time list. Coen Whitney followed in 96th (26:04.2), good for 5th on the all-time list, and the two were within three-tenths of a second of each other at the mile mark (5:16.6 and 5:16.3). Fellow freshman LJ Johnson placed 125th in 26:28.7, which ranks 8th all-time. Seniors Diego Escalante (185th, 27:45.4) and Elliot Vargas (202nd, 28:07.1) rounded out the scoring five, and sophomore Jacob Fornander completed the lineup in 238th (28:50.9).

Women's 5K
The Griffin women emphasized strong pack running technique, and their five scorers finished within 39.3 seconds of each other. Freshman Kaja Wilcox led the way, placing 115th overall in 19:44.1. Senior Haven Finley was right behind in 124th (19:55.2), followed by juniors Eileen O'Connor (133rd, 20:02.1) and Angela Martin Rubin (142nd, 20:12.3). Sophomore Sonya Brunner completed the Westminster scoring five in 151st (20:23.4).

Griffin Performances

Men

• Joaquin Stultz (FR) –  25:53.9 (4th all-time)

• Coen Whitney (FR) –  26:04.2 (5th all-time)

• LJ Johnson (FR) – 26:28.7 (8th all-time)

• Diego Escalante (SR) – 27:45.4

• Elliot Vargas (SR) – 28:07.1

• Jacob Fornander (SO) – 28:50.9

Women

• Kaja Wilcox (FR) – 19:44.1

• Haven Finley (SR) – 19:55.2

• Eileen O'Connor (JR) – 20:02.1

• Angela Martin Rubin (JR) – 20:12.3

• Sonya Brunner (SO) –  20:23.4

Up Next
The Griffins will compete in the Dr. Thad Scholes XC Invitational in Twin Falls, ID.