Running on a sunny, hot day at Ft. Walla Walla Park, senior Laura Matsen gave the host school its highest finish, placing fifth in the women's 6,000 meters at Saturday's Whitman College Invitational at Ft. Walla Walla Park.
In the men's 8,000 meters, junior Conor Flynn and senior Braden Burkholder placed 11th and 12th, respectively, as Whitman's top finishers.
In the team scoring, the Whitman women placed fourth overall with 119 points. The men's team was sixth with 122 points.
Matsen, who had not run competitively since high school, posted a strong time of 23:49.81. Robin Wemple of Boise State, an NCAA Div. I school, won the race in a time of 22:37.76. Maureen FitzMaurice, a junior, posted the next best time for the Missionaries, placing 32nd in 27:11.85. Senior Jeanne Knetchges crossed the finish line just behind FitzMaurice for 33rd, clocking a time of 27:13.27. Others running for Whitman were Sarah McConnell, 43rd, 28:11.22; Libby Winters, 46th, 28:34.01; and Sarah Johnson, 54th, 30:39.38.
Lewis-Clark State, an NAIA school, was first in the women's team scoring with 39 points, just three points ahead of Boise State. Whitworth took third place (54 points), Northwest Nazarene fifth (127) was fifth, and Eastern Oregon sixth (166).
Boise State dominated the men's race, takng the first four places as well as ninth place. Whitworth's men took second place (62), Lewis-Clark State third (73), Northwest Nazarene fourth (116), and Eastern Oregon fifth (118).
The winning time in the men's race was 26:22.00, posted by Boise State's Forest Braden. Flynn crossed the line in a time of 28:05.48, with Burkholder right behind at 28:12.14. Burkholder placed 157th at last year's NCAA Div. III nationals with a time of 27:01.7. Flynn placed 28th at last year's Northwest Conference Championships, five spots behind Burkholder.
Whitman freshman Brian Elliot made a good showing in his first collegiate race, finishing in 26th at 29:47.72. Junior Ryan Choi posted the fourth best time for the Missionaries at 31:46.67, placing him 39th overall. Another junior, Pat Cade, finished 43rd, in 32:11.61. Two more freshmen, Adam Kopet (32:48.48) and Sam Clark (33:52.00), finished 45th and 47th, respectively. Rounding out the Missionary group were Chris Brewer (49th, 35:05.34), Nick Johnson (50th, 35:22.51), and Miles Barrett (35:45.72).
Seniors Laura Matsen and Braden Burkholder placed sixth and 10th in their respective races to pace the Whitman men's and women's cross country teams in Saturday's Lewis & Clark Invitational at McIver Park near Estacada, Ore.
In the team scoring, the Missionary men placed sixth in a nine-team field, finishing just five points out of fourth place. The Whitman women placed seventh among nine teams.
Temperatures for Saturday's races were in the 65-to-75-degree range, about 25 degrees cooler than what had prevailed at the previous week's season-opening Whitman Invitational in Walla Walla.
"All of our runners had much better races today than a week ago," Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopherson said. "With the cooler temperatures, everyone felt much stronger."
Matsen, running her first season of collegiate cross country, placed sixth in the women's 6,000 meters in a time of 22:49.7. That was nearly 60 seconds faster than the time posted by Whitman's top runner, Sierra Witnov, in the same race last fall. Witnov, now a junior, is on foreign study this semester.
"The fact that Laura ran a much faster time than Sierra did last year at the same time on the same course is obviously a good sign," Christopherson said. Witnov capped her season last fall by placing fourth at both the conference and regional races.
Matsen had the second-best time Saturday among Northwest Conference runners. Sadie Grossman, running for host Lewis & Clark, finished third in 22:29.4. Jeannine Liang, running for Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, won the race in 22:08.3.
Burkholder, Whitman's top men's runner Saturday, finished his 8,000-meter race in 26:48. "That was a great run for Braden," Christopherson said. "He was moving up and passing other runners all through the race. His time was about 45 seconds faster than what he ran on that course last fall."
Burkholder also had the second-best time among NWC runners. Pacific's Nathan May placed third in 26:09.7. Western Oregon's Chase Wells was the winner in 25:36.1.
Next in line for the Whitman men was junior Conor Flynn, who placed 16th in 27:12.1. "That was a strong time for Conor," Christopherson said. "He was about 60 seconds faster than his time from this race last year."
Others placing for the Whitman men were Pat Cade, 41st, 28:13.3; Elliot Brian, 43rd, 28:16.1; Mike Orcutt, 54th, 28:55; and Ryan Choi, 59th, 29:17.9. "Mike ran well after having been sick all week," Christopherson said, "and Ryan managed to run a good time after developing blisters in the second mile of the race."
Rounding out the men's contingent were Chris Brewer, who ran a personal-best time of 29:59.1 in placing 65th; Adam Kopet, 71st, 30:30.7; Sam Clark, 79th, 31:26.6; Nick Johnson, 80th, 31:27.6; and Miles Barrett, 85th, 35:35.6.
Emma Catmur, a first-year runner, posted Whitman's second-best finish in the women's race. She placed 43rd in 25:17.8, just ahead of seniors Maureen FitzMaurice and Jeanne Knechtges, who placed 45th and 47th, respectively, in times of 25:28.5 and 25:38.5.
Also placing for the Whitman women were Libby Winters, 51st, 25:41.6; Sarah McConnell, 53rd, 25:48.2; and Emily Johnson, 74th, 28:18.3
In the women's team scoring, Whitman was seventh with 173 points. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps won the women's event with 30 points. Lewis & Clark was second with 70 points and Eastern Oregon third with 101. Next in line were Western Oregon with 109, Linfield with 126, and George Fox with 138. Pacific was eighth with 203 points and Western Baptist with 290.
The Whitman men totaled 149 points in placing sixth, finishing just behind two Northwest Conference rivals, Lewis & Clark (146 points) and Linfield (144 points). George Fox, also a NWC school, was third with 97 points. Western Oregon took first with 35 points, while Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was second with 57. Eastern Oregon, Pacific and Western Baptist filled the last three spots, scoring between 154 and 226 points.
"The men's scoring between our conference schools was very close," Christopherson said. "It should be a good conference battle this season on the men's side."
"This was a good day for both Whitman teams," Christopherson said. "All of our runners felt they ran good, strong, smart races. I feel the same way. I'm very happy with our results today."
Both Whitman men's and women's cross country teams placed fifth at Saturday's Central Washington Open in Ellensburg, Wash. Senior Laura Matsen led the way for the women, placing third in the 5,000 meters. Braden Burkholder, also a senior, was the highest placer for the men's team, finishing seventh.
Matsen's time of 19:34 was just three seconds behind the runner-up, Whitworth's Leslie Nelson, and 12 seconds behind the winner, Josie Lavin of Seattle Pacific.
Nelson, one of the top runners in the Northwest Conference, placed second at both last year's conference championships and NCAA Div. III West Region championships.
Matsen, who is running her first season of collegiate cross country, finished ahead of three Willamette runners on Saturday, including defending conference champion Kari Holbert. Willamette also won last year's NWC team title.
"This was a really strong race for Laura," Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopherson said. "She keeps improving every week."
Burkholder finished the men's race Saturday in a time of 21:50, eight seconds ahead of junior teammate Conor Flynn. Flynn placed 12th in 21:58. Burkholder was just three seconds back of fourth place.
Junior Pat Cade posted the third-best time (23:18) for the Whitman men's team, placing 37th. Others placing for the Missionaries were Mike Orcutt, 44th, 23:36;, 55th was Elliot Brian, 55th, 24:07; Chris Brewer, 56th, 24:15; Adam Kopet, 68th, 25:06; Samuel Clark, 69th, 25:07; and Nick Johnson, 72nd, 25:22.
First-year runner Emma Catmur finished 39th for the Whitman women, finishing in 21:43. Next were Maureen FitzMaurice, 49th, 21:59; Libby Winters, 57th, 22:25; Sara McConnell, 60th, 22:28; Jeanne Knechtges, 65th, 22:43; and Emily Johnson, 79th, 24:03.
The Whitman women's team totaled 140 points, beating Western Washington by a single point. Willamette won the team scoring with 39 points. Seattle Pacific was second with 65 points, followed by Whitworth in third place with 70, Central Washington in fourth with 141.
On the men's side, the Missionaries finished 112 points. Willamette also won the men's event with 32 points. Whitworth took second (70), Central Washington third (88), and Seattle Pacific fourth (91).
"Overall it was a good day for us," Christopherson noted. "We weren't really concerned with the team result. "we just wanted a good effort, and we got it."
Next Saturday the Missionaries travel to Forest Grove, Ore., for the Pacific Invitational.
With Laura Matsen placing second in her race and Conor Flynn and Braden Burkholder finishing seventh and eighth, respectively, in the men's race, the Whitman cross country teams placed third among five schools at Saturday's Pacific Invitational in Forest Grove, Ore.
"It was a very warm day for this time of year, and the heat affected some runners more than others," Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopherson said. "But it was a good race for us, and it gave us a good preview of the course that will host the conference championships in early November."
Matsen, a senior running her first season of collegiate cross country, finished the women's 6,000 meters in 23:10.79. Whitworth's Leslie Nelson, one of the top runners in the Northwest Conference the past few seasons, won the race in 22:43.79.
"Laura stayed with Nelson most of the way," Christopherson said. "It was only the last three-quarters of mile that Nelson pulled away a little bit."
Pacific's Nathan May won the men's 8,000 meters in 26:25.81, finishing about seven seconds in front of Whitworth's Michael Chuol. In placing seventh in 27:16.38, Whitman's Flynn finished less than three seconds behind two other Whitworth runners. Flynn, a junior, had a "good, strong race," Christopherson said.
Burkholder's eighth-place time was 27:24.49. Pat Cade, a Whitman junior, also had a good race, placing 20th in 28:29.16.
Freshman Brian Elliot, despite being sick the past week, placed 31st in 29:44.67. Others placing for Whitman included Mike Orcutt, 33rd, 29:56.13; Sam Clark, 34th, 29:57.63; Ryan Choi, 35th, 30:02.72; and Chris Brewer, 37th, 30:24.32. Rounding out the Missionary men's contingent were Nick Johnson, 41st, 31:01.83, and Miles Barrett, 48th, 32:56.36.
In the women's race, senior Jeanne Knechtges had the next best race for Whitman, placing 19th in 25:57.04. Right behind were teammates Sarah McConnell, a sophomore who was 20th in 26:08.71, and Emma Catmur, a first-year runner was was 21st in 26:23.48.
Also running for the Whitman women were Libby Winters, who placed 26th in 26:54.52, and Emily Johnson, who was 35th in 28:32.93.
Whitworth finished first in both the men's and women's team scoring, with each team scoring 30 points. Southern Oregon University placed second, scoring 48 points on the women's side and 54 points in the men's race. Whitman's third-place totals were 69 for the women and 78 for the men. Pacific and Western Baptist placed fourth and fifth in both races.
Running for only the fifth time as a collegian, Whitman’s Laura Matsen won her first race Saturday, crossing the finish line ahead of the pack at the 3,200-kilometer Eastern Oregon Open in La Grande, Ore. Matsen, a senior in her first season of collegiate cross country, won by a wide margin with a time of 11:37.17. Eastern Oregon’s Kelsey Jones took second place in 11:54.27.
”Laura was sick earlier in the week, so we weren’t sure how she would do today,” Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopherson said. “But she ran a good, strong race. She beat Eastern Oregon’s top runner, who was an NAIA All-American last year.”
Meanwhile, in the men’s 4,000 meters, Whitman teammates Braden Burkholder and Conor Flynn continued their intrasquad rivalry. Burkholder, a senior, placed 11th in 13:04.50, just ahead of Flynn, a junior who was 12th in 13:10.40.
In five races this season, Flynn and Burkholder have finished back-to-back three times, with Flynn finishing in front the two previous times. Burkholder has been Whitman’s top finisher, however, three times this fall.
In Saturday’s team scoring, the Whitman women placed second with 41 place points for their top five. Eastern Oregon was first with 20 points, while Treasure Valley Community College was third with 79 points.
”This was definitely a low-key meet,” Christopherson said. “There were just three teams, and the courses were short for both women and men.”
Eastern Oregon also won the men’s race with a total of 15 points. Treasure Valley was second with 59 points and Whitman third with 68.
”The Eastern Oregon men are ranked No. 1 in the nation at the moment in the NAIA,” Christopherson noted. “They are very strong.”
In addition to Matsen’s winning effort, Whitman had two other runners place in the top ten. Senior Libby Winter finished eighth in 13:11.66, while first-year runner Emma Catmur was right on her heals, finishing ninth in 13:13.02. It was the highest placing for both runners this season.
The rest of the Whitman women’s contingent finished in the top 17. Jeanne Knechtges, a senior, finished 12th in 13:18.95, one spot ahead of sophomore Kathrine Magid, whose time was 13:43.24. Emily Johnson, also sophomore, was 17th in 14:43.75.
”The weather conditions for the women’s race were good with cool temperatures and no wind,” Christopherson said. “Once the women’s race was over, though, the wind picked up and was blowing at about 25 miles per hour. That slowed things down for the men’s race.”
Other men placing for Whitman included Patrick Cade, 21st, 13:45.68; Sam Clark, 24th, 13:51.42; Ryan Choi, 25th, 13:52.69; Mike Orcutt, 26th, 13:57.77; and Brian Elliot, 29th, 14:08.22.
Also running for the Missionary men were Nick Johnson, 32nd, 14:24.24; Chris Brewer, 33rd, 14:25.11; Adam Kopett, 37th, 15:07.36; and Miles Barrett, 39th, 16:20.62.
Both teams compete in the Spokane Falls Classic in Spokane next Saturday, their final tune-up before heading to the Northwest Conference Championships on Nov. 1.
Whitman's Laura Matsen won her second race in as many weeks, leading the Missionary women to a third-place finish, and Braden Burkholder placed 13th for the Whitman men at Saturday's Bigfoot Open in Spokane.
Matsen, a senior running her first season of collegiate cross country, won the women's 5,000 meters in 18:25, beating her nearest competitor, Whitworth's Leslie Nelson, by 14 seconds.
"This was a good, strong race for Laura," Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopherson said. "This is the first time this season that Laura has beaten Nelson, who finished second last year at both the conference championships and regional race."
Saturday's race was Whitman's final tune-up before the Northwest Conference championships in two weeks. "Laura continues to get stronger and stronger each week," Christopherson said. "She has really turned a corner this past two weeks. She's peaking at just right the time."
Lewis-Clark State won Saturday's team scoring in the women's event with 34 points, edging Whitworth by five points. Whitman was third with 96 points, followed by Clackamas Community College with 121, Community Colleges of Spokane with 130, Sunfish Runninig Club with 138, Flathead Valley Community College with 204, and Treasure Valley Community College with 215.
Rounding out the top five for the Whitman women were seniors Jeanne Knechtges and Libby Winters, who placed 34th and 37th, respectively, in times of 21:11 and 21:21; junior Maureen FitzMaurice, who placed 38th in 21:22; and sophomore Sarah McConnell, who was 40th in 21:25.
"Those four ran really well as a pack," Christopherson said. "It was fun to see."
Also placing for Whitman were sophomore Katherine Magid, who placed 48th in 21:57, and first-year runner Emily Johnson, who was 61st in 23:16. Emma Catmur, a first-year runner and normally one of Whitman's top runners, was unable to finish the race because of a hamstring problem. "I don't think it was too serious," Christopherson said. "We hope Emma will be much better by the conference race."
In the men's 8,000 meters, Burkholder's 13th-place time was 27:03. "Braden ran a good time, even though he was coming off a hard week of training," Christopherson said. "We'll start to taper our training now to get ready for the conference championships."
Burkholder, a senior, had the third-best time among Northwest Conference runners in Saturday's race. Two Whitworth runners placed 10th and 11th. Clay Hemlock, running for Highline Community College, won the men's race in 26:05.
Next in line for the Whitman men were juniors Conor Flynn and Pat Cade, who placed 13th and 21st, respectively, in times of 27:03 and 27:27. Both times were faster than what Flynn and Cade ran in the same race at the same time last season.
Filling the fourth and fifth spots for Whitman were two first-year runners. Elliot Brian placed 38th in 28:30, while Sam Clark was 45th in 29:05. "That was a personal-best time for Sam," Christopherson. "This is his first season of cross country at any level, and he keeps getting stronger and stronger."
Others running for Whitman were junior Mike Orcutt, 47th, 29:15; junior Ryan Choi, 53rd, 29:26; senior Chris Brewer, 55th, 29:34 (personal-best time); freshman Nick Johnson, 64th, 30:16 (pesonal-best time); and junior Miles Barrett, 75th, 33:51.
The NWC championships are set for Saturday, Nov. 1, at Lincoln Park in Forest Grove, Ore.
"I like the way are teams are looking at this point," Christopherson said. "Everyone is running well and strong, and except for Emma's hamstring problem, everyone is healthy."
Whitman's Laura Matsen completed her storybook rise to the top of the Northwest Conference on Saturday, winning the women's 6,000-meter title in her fastest time of the season. Running at Lincoln Park in Forest Grove, Ore., Matsen took the lead midway through the second mile and was never headed, finishing in an eye-popping 21:36.78.
Matsen's time, a new meet and course record, was more than 90 seconds better than the time she posted on the same course in a late-September race, when she placed second.
"It's always great to have a conference champion on your team," Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopherson said. "Laura looked very strong today. Once she took the lead, she never looked back."
In ceremonies following the meet, Matsen was recognized as the NWC's female Athlete of the Year.
Matsen, a senior running her first season of collegiate cross country, beat rival Leslie Nelson, a Whitworth senior, by just under three seconds. Nelson also finished second in last year's conference championship meet, losing to Willamette's Kari Holbert by one second. Holbert, now a junior, finished about five seconds behind Matsen in Saturday's race.
Matsen is Whitman's first women's cross country champion in eight years. Kathleen Gibson won the title as a senior in 1995. Gibson's senior teammate, Jessica Bissonnette, was the two-time defending champion that fall, but she was unable to run in the conference meet due to injury.
Matsen, who ran varsity cross country and track at Seattle's Lakeside School, pursued neither sport in her first three years at Whitman. She delved instead into outdoor sports, learning to rock climb and mountaineer. She also began competing in triathlon events, winning a national title in her age and weight group.
After "rediscovering" her love for competitive running this summer while studying for her medical school exams, Matsen quickly established herself this fall as one of the top runners in the conference. In addition to her placing second in her first race at Lincoln Park, she won two other races this fall and placed third once.
In the men's 8,000 meters Saturday, junior Conor Flynn and senior Braden Burkholder gave Whitman its best performances, placing 26th and 28th, respectively, in times of 26:36.65 and 26:45.25. "Those were good times for both guys, but I know Braden hadn't been feeling well all week," Christopherson said.
Willamette's Jacob Stout won the men's race in 24:57.69. Teammate Aaron Hollingshead was the runner-up, finishing about nine seconds off the pace.
Willamette easily defended its team titles in both the men's and women's events.
The Willamette men took first with 25 place points for its top five runners. Puget Sound was second with 50. Next in line were Whitworth 115, George Fox 118, Linfield 127, Pacific Lutheran 146, Whitman 178, Lewis & Clark 207, and Pacific 217.
On the women's side, Willamette was first 33 for its top five, followed by Whitworth with 79. Other team scores were Lewis & Clark 100, Linfield 106, Puget Sound 139, George Fox 147, Pacific Lutheran 154, Whitman 181, and Pacific 234.
Rounding out the top five for the Whitman women were senior Jeanne Knechtges, 48th, 24:22.15; senior Libby Winters, 54th, 25:03.44; junior Maureen FitzMaurice, 56th, 25:09.08; and sophomore Katherine Magid, 57th, 25:12.10. "Both Jeanne and Libby ran good races," Christopherson said.
Also running for the Whitman women were first-year runner Emma Catmur, who was 66th in 25:55.84, and junior Emily Johnson, who was 71st in 26:15.30. Sophomore Sarah McConnell was injured was unable to run.
"Maureen has not yet fully recovered from being sick, but she still ran a season-best time," Christopherson said. "Emma's hamstring problem flared up early in the race, and that really afffected her race. Nearly all of our women ran personal-best or season-best times."
Joining Flynn and Burkholder in Whitman's top five were junior Patrick Cade, 35th, 27:04.65; junior Ryan Choi, 49th, 27:44.51; and freshman Sam Clark, 56th, 27:56.95. "That was a personal-best time for Pat, and it was good to see Ryan run under 28 minutes again," Christopherson said. "As a freshman, Sam continues to get better week after week."
Also running for the Whitman men were freshman Nick Johnson, 59th, 28:05.58; freshman Eilliot Brian, 60th, 28:08.79; junior Mike Orcutt, 68th, 28:16.0; senior Chris Brewer, 69th, 28:16.99; and freshman Adam Kopet, 30:19.12. "That was a huge improvement for Nick Johnson," Christopherson said. "That was his first time under 30 minutes this season. Again, just about all the guys ran good times today. Chris Brewer ran his best race by far."
Whitman's next competition comes in two weeks at the NCAA Div. III West Region meet. The races will take place at McIver Park near Estacada, Ore. Last year, Burkholder and Sierra Witnov (studying abroad this fall) placed well enough at the regional race to qualify for the NCAA national championships.
Setting a new course record for the second time in two weeks, Whitman's Laura Matsen won the NCAA Div. III West Regional Saturday morning at McIver State Park in Estacada, Ore. Matsen, a senior in her first season of collegiate running, won the women's 6,000 meters with a time of 21:44.2, beating the runner-up, Whitworth's Leslie Nelson, by 14 seconds.
With her latest triumph, Matsen advances to the NCAA Div. III National Championships, slated for next Saturday, Nov. 22, at Indiana's Hanover College.
In winning the Northwest Conference Championships two weeks ago at Lincoln Park in Forest Grove, Ore., Matsen set a new course and meet record with a time of 21:36.78.
Times in Saturday's regional event were slowed a bit by a wet course. "It rained (Friday) night, but Laura looked really strong," Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopherson said. "She took the lead just after the halfway point and held on to the end."
Matsen has now won her last four races. She also has second-place and third-place finishes to her credit this fall. Early in the season, in just her second collegiate race, placed sixth in a race at McIver State Park, finishing with a time of 22:49.7.
In Saturday's regional race for the men, senior Braden Burkholder placed 21st in his final race as a Missionary, moving up from a 28th-place showing in the NWC championships two weeks ago. Burkholder's time for the 8,000 meters was 26:29.8.
Burkholder just missed advancing to nationals for a second consecutive year. The top three men's teams in Saturday's regional advanced to nationals, along with the top six individuals not on those three teams. Burkholder was the eighth finisher not on the top three teams. His time was about 14 seconds behind the sixth and final individual qualifier.
"It was tough to see Braden miss nationals by just a few seconds, but this was his best race of the year," Christopherson said. After finishing 20th at the regional meet a year ago, Burkholder placed 157th in a huge field at nationals.
In the women's team scoring Saturday, Matsen led Whitman women to an 11th-place finish with 284 points. Willamette won the meet with 45 points. Rounding out the top five were Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (79), Whitworth (90), Linfield (98), Lewis & Clark (151) and George Fox (170).
Senior Jeanne Knechtges posted Whitman's second best time in the women's race Saturday, finishing 62nd in 24:42.9. That knocked 64 seconds off the time she posted earlier in the season on the same course. "Jeanne finished her collegiate career with a great race," Christopherson said.
Maureen FitzMaurice, a Whitman junior, finished 75th with a time of 25:15.8. Senior Libby Winters close behind, placing 77th in 25:22.7. Also running for Whitman were sophomore Katherine Magid, 89th, 26:16.1, and junior Emily Johnson, 93rd, 26:46.8.
In the men's team scoring, Whitman placed among 14 schools with 270 points. Willamette was first with 41 points, followed in the top five by Puget Sound with 59, Colorado College 72, Pomona-Pitzer 105 and Whitworth 133.
Whitman's next best finish in the men's race was posted by junior Conor Flynn, who placed 36th in 27:10.6. Others contributing to the Missionary team score (top five) were junior Ryan Choi, 60th, 27:49; junior Pat Cade, 82nd, 28:46; and freshman Elliot Brian, 86th, 29:01. Also running for Whitman were senior Chris Brewer, 87th, 29:08, and freshman Nick Johnson, 99th, 31:41.
Whitman senior Laura Matsen wrote a storybook ending to a brilliant cross country season by placing ninth and claiming All-American honors at the NCAA Div. III National Championships, held this morning (Saturday, Nov. 22) at Indiana's Hanover College.
"Laura was fantastic today," Whitman assistant coach Neal Christopher said. "I had hoped she could finish in the top 15, so it was great to see her make the top ten. It was great to see her make All-American."
Matsen, who did not run cross country in her first three years at Whitman, ran Saturday's 6,000 meters in 22:14.7, finishing just six seconds out of sixth place. Missy Buttry, a junior from Wartburg College, captured her second consecutive national title, winning the race in a course record 20:00.2. Buttry hit the finish line 63 seconds in front of her nearest challenger.
"It's been a great year, and I'm very happy with how the race went today," Matsen said. "I missed not having the rest of the cross country team here, but my brother, parents and Neal were all here. It was also wonderful to see the (support) sign that a bunch of other Whitman varsity athletes had signed and sent along to the race."
Matsen, who won Northwest Conference and West Region titles earlier this month, was Saturday's top finisher from the western half of the country. Leslie Nelson, a senior at Whitworth, placed 14th, while Willamette junior Kari Holbert was 24th. A total of 206 runners finished the race.
"Laura ran a smart, strong race," Christopherson said. "After the first mile, she was somewhere around 35th place. By the two-mile mark, she had established herself in a pack of about eight women who were running between ninth and 18th. She outkicked them all over the last 1,000 meters."
Temperatures for the race hovered in the mid-60s. "The course and weather conditions were good," Christopherson said. "The course was all grass and rolling hills. It was soft and muddy in a few places, but overall it was in good shape."
Matsen is only the third Whitman woman to qualify for the NCAA national championships, and the first to claim NCAA All-America honors. Last fall, Whitman's Sierra Witnov capped her sophomore season by placing 100th at nationals. Witnov is on foreign study this fall and did not run cross country. Jennie Wood, a senior in the fall of 2000, placed 72nd in that year's national championships.
Whitman shifted its national affiliation from the NAIA to the NCAA with the 1995-96 academic year, although its teams did not become eligible for NCAA post-season competition until the 1998-99 year.
Kathleen Gibson posted Whitman's best finish in the NAIA national championships. A senior and the Northwest Conference champion in the fall of 1995, Gibson placed fifth in 18:36 on a 5,000-meter course at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.
The UW-Parkside course was used each year for the NAIA national championships. Fiona Lloyd, a first-year runner at Whitman in the fall of 1989, placed eighth at nationals that season in 18:18.
Jessica Bissonnette, as a junior in the fall of 1994, finished 11th at nationals in 18:19. Bissonnette, a two-time conference champion, was one of the favorites for the NAIA national title in 1995. She suffered a stress fracture midway through that season, however, and placed 20th at nationals, after having not run for five weeks.