Following one of the best conference championships in school history, the Eastern Washington University men’s and women’s cross-country teams wrapped up their seasons at the NCAA regional meet in Seattle.

Junior Sarah Reiter led the charge for the Eastern women, finishing ninth with a time of 20:53.9 on the 6,000 meter course. “Sarah ran an exceptional race. We designed a racing plan for her and she executed it perfectly,” first-year head coach Chris Shane said.

With her finish, Reiter will become just the fifth EWU woman to run at the NCAA championships, and the first to do so since 2007. “I’m so happy and excited I get the chance to represent Eastern at NCAA’s. It’s been a dream I’ve had and it’s hard to believe it’s happening,” Reiter said.

An impressive performance by Reiter was capped off by finishing behind only three Pac-12 runners. “I do feel like when I get into bigger races it’s really fun to run against those bigger schools and have the chance to compete with them,” Reiter said.

Other highlights for the women’s team included a 51st place finish by senior Berenice Penaloza, with a time of 21:35.9 and junior Caite Arrigoni, finishing 70th in 21:54.2.

The Eagles’ scoring was rounded out by senior Katie Mahoney and junior Paula Gil-Echevarria, finishing 105th and 114th, respectively, leading to a 12th place team finish for the women.

The EWU men finished 18th in the Western Region, led by junior Alex Kimsey’s 90th place finish in 32:54.1 over 10,000 meters. Senior Aaron Brenton in 100th, junior Stephen Bottoms in 111th, sophomore Austin Oser in 118th and junior Isaac Kitzan in 142nd wrapped up the Eagles’ scoring on the men’s side.

“I thought our teams ran very tough under very miserable conditions. It was raining sideways and the wind kicked up and it was one of the worst races, condition-wise, that I have ever been to,” Shane said. “With that being said, our team showed a lot of heart.”

As Shane wraps up his first season as head coach, the future appears bright for EWU cross – country. “Coach Shane has really helped us to set goals and work to make sure that everyone on the team contributes to the full of their ability,” Reiter said.

Reiter will compete at the NCAA Championships in Louisville, Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 21.