TACOMA, Wash.—Three seniors finished in the top-eight, to lead Lewis & Clark men's cross country to a third-place finish at the Pacific Lutheran University Invitational. 

THE BASICS 
 
Lewis & Clark Men's Cross Country – 3^rd out of 7 teams – 75 points 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 


In the first meeting with the top two teams from last year's Northwest Conference Championship Meet, Lewis & Clark (75 points) finished just behind George Fox University (44) and Whitworth University (67 points). The River Otters were competing in their first 8K of the season and on the same course as last year's NWC Championship Meet. 
 
Seniors Quinn Higgins and Emil Miller finished back-to-back in fourth and fifth place. The senior duo crossed the line in 25:20.6 and 25:22.3. 
 
Senior Evan Markelz notched his second top-10 showing of the season. He came across in eighth place with a time of 25:32.3. 
 
Senior Sam Garcia was the fourth Lewis & Clark runner to cross the line. He posted a time of 26:35.8 to place 30^th overall. 
 
First year Dylan McGuirk came across in 40^th place to finish as a part of the Lewis & Clark scoring lineup for the first time in his career. McGuirk registered a time of 26:55.0. 
 
Sophomore Knox Orchard posted a time of 27:00.4 to come in sixth on the team and 44^th overall. 
 
Senior John Blockhus placed seventh on the team. Blockhus registered a time of 27:04.6 to finish in 46^thplace. 
 
Junior AJ Gibbs placed 52^nd overall. Gibbs notched a time of 27:24.4. 
 
First years Tait Ostrom and Ukiah Moon Steury were the next two River Otters to cross the line. Ostrom (27:28.7) finished in 55^th place and Steury (27:42.0) came across in 61^st overall. 
 
Senior Jordan Wu finished in 63^rd place. Wu registered a final time of 27:47.8. 
 
First year Nico Rossini recorded a time of 28:00.8 to place 67^th overall. 
 
Senior Teagon Aasen was the final Lewis & Clark runner to come across. Aasen registered a time of 31:47.2 to place 96^th. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• Blockhus and first years McGuirk, Ostrom, Steury and Rossini all posted career-best 8K times. Blockhus improved his previous 8K PR by 22 seconds. 
• Higgins (3x), Miller (3x) and Markelz (2x) have all finished in the top-10 in every race they've competed in this season. 
• Lewis & Clark (75 points) finished ahead of NWC schools University of Puget Sound (79), Whitman College (100) and Pacific Lutheran University (221). The River Otters have now faced off against seven of the other eight NWC schools (Willamette) and finished ahead of five of the seven. 
• Men's cross country's top three finishers accounted for 17 points. Whitworth matched Lewis & Clark with 17 points amongst their top three finishers and George Fox recorded 19 points. The Bruins and Pirates fourth and fifth runners each finished ahead of Lewis & Clark's fourth and fifth runners to cross the line.  

WHAT'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will be off next weekend, before heading to Spokane for the Frank Knott Classic on Saturday, October 3. The meet will be held at the "The Course" and will serve as a preview of the 2026 NCAA DIII West Regional Championship Meet.