The Cross Country team was at the Willamette Open on October 3 for the third meet of the season.

“I think the meet went pretty well,” Kaelia Neal, ’18, said.

Neal was referring to not just her personal performance, but also both the women’s and men’s team and how their efforts paid off this last Saturday.

“The girls team did better than I think we all expected,” Neal said. “We placed fourth among Northwest Conference teams and had three girls under 20 minutes. We are really excited for the conference meet and what the future holds.”

Neal herself was one of those who ran under 20 minutes, coming in at 18:18 and placing 20^th out of 186 runners.

The men’s team also performed well last Saturday. Four of the men broke 27 minutes, and the team placed fifth in the conference.

Emma Knudson, ’18, who came in second for Linfield and 38^th overall, was also asked questions about the meet this last Saturday.

“Supporting each other is one of the main ways in which we work together, and it’s one of the most important aspects of our team dynamic. We always congratulate each other after instilling confidence, especially if one of us isn’t feeling very confident,” Knudson said.

“The season has been incredibly enjoyable. Cross country season is my favorite time of year, and I love training with my teammates everyday. Everyone on the team has a great passion for running, which makes training and racing that much more fun. We are pretty much like a family,” she said.

Linfield is gearing up for the conference meet these next few weeks.

Next up, the ’Cats race at the George Fox Invitational at 9 a.m. on Saturday in Brooks, Oregon.