Bruce Denton – For the Review. With three runners finishing in the top 10, the Linfield men’s cross-country team
 placed a strong second in the Lewis & Clark College Invitational at McIver State Park on Sept. 12.
After a challenging week of training, the Wildcats conquered temperatures that hovered in the 90s, a tough course and most other teams in the field, trailing only behind Division II Western Oregon University in the final standings.
The Wildcat men led throughout the 8-kilometer course by a trio of seniors, as Shawn Fisher placed second, Chris McIsaac placed third and Tyler Davis placed 10th in a field of 117 runners.
“Our goal is to qualify for nationals as a team,” McIsaac said. “We’ve still got a ways to go, but this race shows we have 
the potential to make that happen.”


The ’Cats’ scoring was rounded out by sophomores Alex Van Slyke, who placed
27th, and Arian Anderson, who finished 37th.
On the women’s side, the Wildcats placed third in an 11-team
 field.
Linfield was led by senior Marci Klimek, who ran away with an individual title, winning the women’s race by a 15-second margin with a time of 22:17 on the 6-kilometer course.
“I was hoping for a faster time, but I’m pleased with the effort,” Klimek said. “It’s still early in the season, and I know things will come around by November when it really matters.”
Klimek was followed into the finish chute by sophomore Nelly Evans in 17th place and senior Frances Corcorran in 19th. Other notable Wildcat finishes were sophomore Shanna Peaden in 29th and senior Charlotte Trowbridge in 30th.
Assistant coach Greg Mitchell said he was impressed by the effort of both teams.
“There’s still work to be done,” he said. “But I like where we are now and, more importantly, the direction we are heading.”
Next up for the Wildcats is the Willamette Open on Oct. 3 in Salem.