Salem, Oregon- The Penguins took on an extremely difficult field of competitors at the Charles Bowles XC Invitational at Willamette University on Saturday. The giant races included 327 men and 281 women from over 40 total teams. Per usual, the race was stacked with bigger programs and included eight NCAA Division I teams. "There was no shortage of competition at this meet but both squads approached the starting line bravely and gave it their all," explained Penguin head coach Scott Cook. The women were still short of the five runners needed to score, but the men came through with a 28th place finish that included being ahead of two NWAC rivals. 

The men's race started the day and the team had its best performance so far this season both individually and as a group. All eight men improved their 8K times from their previous race at PLU. They had four men break the 30 minute barrier and two more very close, which is a sign of their depth this season. For the third consecutive race Dekota Houfek led the charge and his time of 27:45 was over a full minute improvement from his first 8K. Tate Armstrong followed with a 30 second personal best of his own at 29:10, and seems poised for more growth as the season progresses. The two best signs of future success were the performances of freshmen Evan Hollis and Liam DeViney. Both athletes broke 30 minutes for the first time as they crossed the finish line just four seconds apart. Sophomores Ben Carter and Hayden Davis had season bests themselves, as they approach the 30 minute milestone as well. "I can tell the guys are starting to embrace each other more and are getting adjusted to the college race atmosphere," said Cook. "With so many improvements it's hard to single out any one in particular, but it was very clear that Evan ran confidently today."

In the women's race it was Pearl Tomulty who shined in her second race as a Penguin. The freshman was the top finisher for Clark for the second consecutive race and seems poised not to relinquish that spot this season. Nayeli Vergara was second on the team once again at Charles Bowles and continues to show improvement each race. Rounding out the top three was Mariposa Perez just seven spots behind Vergara. "The women fought hard despite not being a full squad right now," Cook acknowledged. "I'm proud of their efforts and can't wait to see how they round out the season once Myah Manzano and Nico Field are back."

Next up Clark heads to the George Oja Invitational hosted by Linfield University on October 18th. That race will be the final tune up before the South Region and NWAC Championships in the month to follow.