Setting the Scene: Pacific Lutheran hosts the first of two meets this season, welcoming a field of 17 institutions representing NCAA Divisions II and II, the NAIA, and junior college ranks. All nine Northwest Conference institutions will be racing at the PLU Invitational, getting a taste of the course that will host the 2025 NWC Championships on Nov. 1.
Complete Field: From NCAA Division II: Central Washington University (women only). From NCAA Division III: George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Linfield University, Pacific University, Pacific Lutheran University, University of Puget Sound, Whitman College, Whitworth University, and Willamette University. From NAIA: Evergreen State College, Warner Pacific University (men only). From Northwest Athletic Conference (Junior College): Clark College, Everett College, Olympia College, Pierce College (women only).
2024 Rewind: The Lute women placed eighth overall and the men finished 11th overall last fall at the PLU Invitational.
Sal Mattivi was the top Lute returner to place at the meet last September, finishing 43rd overall in her 6K collegiate debut in 24:30.3. Anna Iverson was the top overall Lute, placing 23rd overall. As a team, PLU placed eighth amongst the 14-team Feld with 208 points while league rival George Fox won the meet with a team tally of 31.
The Lute men placed 11th at the 14-team meet, scoring 279 points. George Fox won the men's meet, scoring 67 points with D2 Central Washington second with 73 points. Daniel Zimmer was the top Lute returner at the meet, finishing 90th overall in 28:05.6. Owen Ladinig was the top overall Lute, placing 16th in 25:21.5.
About the Lute Women: Maddie Mitchell made her collegiate debut in style, finishing 15th overall to pace PLU at the season opening Puget Sound Invitational on August 30th at Fort Steilacoom Park.
Mitchell traversed the 5,000-meter layout in 20 minutes, 49.8 seconds to finish 15th overall while Jessalyn Robles was three spots back in 18th in 21:00.6. PLU's next six runners all finished within a minute of each other with Rachel Rosario leading the pack with a 23rd place showing in 21:34.6. Natalie Moran-Padilla was the next competitor in the finish line chute, placing 24th in 21:34.6 with Mariel Robles the fifth Lute inside the Top 25, snagging 25th overall in 21:48.3.
Piper Gannon was 28th in 22:14.7 while Adalia Olmos and Cassidy Kauppila finished in 29th and 30th, respectively with time of 22:28.1 and 22:30.4.
The Lutes racked up 77 points in the team standings, finishing third overall and enjoying a six-point buffer on in-state rival The Evergreen State College. University of Puget Sound won the meet, finishing with 17 points after boasting the race's top four finishers including individual champion Emily Moore who finished in 19:27.4.
About the Lute Men: PLU placed two runners inside the top 10 on August 30, including a fourth place showing from Kai Sorensen, opening the lid on the season at the Puget Sound Invitational at Fort Steilacoom Park.
Sorensen paced the Lutes, navigating the 5,000-meter course in a personal best effort of 15 minutes, 56.2 seconds to secure fourth overall and third amongst Division III competitors in the field. Noah Friedrich was 10th in a personal best time of 16:18.1 while Isaiah Bradley cracked the top 20 in his Lute debut, crossing the tape in 16:57.4 to secure 17th overall.
Fellow first-year Corder Janes was four spots back in 21st in 17:14.0 while Daniel Zimmer was the fifth Lute in the top 25, placing 25th in 17:20.8.
Justin Garrett was 28th in 17:27.4 in his first collegiate race while Jonah Andrews and Corban Piper finished back-to-back in 45th and 46th place, respectively. Both finished in personal record times with Andrews entering the finisher's chute in 18:18.8 while Piper stopped the clock in 18:22.4.
Pacific Lutheran finished one point out of second place in the team standings, finishing with a score of 66. Green River College was second with 65 points while Everett Community College was one point behind the Lutes in fourth with 67 points. Host University of Puget Sound won the team title with 29 points.
Sparks Flying: Last Saturday, the PLU cross country program continued a longtime tradition, running the game ball from the PLU campus to Sparks Stadium for the Lute football team's home opener. It was a training run that covered over 10 miles and has been a staple part of the XC calendar since 2018.
Highlights from Luteville
NWC Coaches' Poll
This August, the Lute women were picked to finish tied for seventh and the Lute men were picked eighth in the annual preseason coaches' polls released by the Northwest Conference.
In Spring of 2024, PLU became just the second NCAA Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Home Meet:
Nov. 1 hosting the 2025 NWC Championships
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu