Cross Country

Cross Country Release

9/20 - BEAR FETE INVITATIONAL: Southern Oregon Women, Willamette Men Win Bear Fete Runs; GFU Men 2nd, Women 3rd

Complete Results (W)

Complete Results (M)

ST. PAUL, Ore. - In a pair of close races, Southern Oregon University won the women's 4,000 meter run and Willamette University was victorious in the men's 4-mile run at the 14th Annual Bear Fete Invitational / Bru-Running Alumni Homecoming cross country event, hosted by George Fox University, here at Champoeg State Park Saturday morning (Sept. 20).

Women

By capturing places 1, 2, 6, 9, and 11, Southern Oregon was able to edge Linfield College 29-44 in the women's 4K. Host George Fox was 3rd with 71 points, followed by an independent team, Team Gfr, with 105, Willamette with 111, Warner Pacific College with 158, and Western Baptist College with 198.

SOU's Brynn Cogdill won the event over teammate Hadley Roe with a time of 14:51.87 to 15:04.47. Linfield's Meryl Witt (15:13.37) and Terry Hall (15:26.28) were 3rd and 5th, sandwiched around Stephanie Morrow (15:23.56) of the Bruin Track Club.

The best time for a George Fox runner was Leighann Fischer's 15:32.75, good for 6th overall and 5th in team scoring. Other Bruin scorers were Janelle Goeres at 16:06.85 (17th/14th), Beth Moyer at 16:13.64 (18th/15th), Beth Jertberg at 16:18.00 (20th/17th), and Jessica Beach at 16:31.66 (23rd/20th).

Men

Willamette was threatened by host George Fox but pulled out a 31-44 advantage in the men's 4-mile by taking spots 1, 3, 5, 6, and 16. Southern Oregon was 3rd with 78 points, followed by Linfield with 93, the independent Bruin Track Club (former GFU runners) with 143, and Western Baptist with 145.

Nick Symonds, who won a couple of track and field events in the NCAA National Championships for Willamette last year, took the race with a time of 20:26.04, just over nine seconds faster than Sean Peterson, running unattached, at 20:35.74. Michael Owen of George Fox was 3rd (2nd in team scoring) at 20:44.77, Willamette's Brendan Brown was 4th/3rd at 20:54.11, and the Bruins' Matt Burg was 5th/4th at 20:57.21.

Besides Owen and Burg, other Bruins who counted in the scoring were Jake Moe at 21:32.96 (13th/11th), Craig Paulin at 21:34.39 (14th/12th), and Ed Guelfi at 22:04.35 (18th/15th).

Next for GFU: The Bruins will participate in the Pacific Invitational, hosted by Pacific University, at Lincoln Park in Forest Grove, Ore., on Saturday, May 27, starting at 9:30 a.m.