BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- The George Fox cross country team headed east to Pennsylvania for their highly competitive 2025 version of pre-nationals: the Paul Short Run. In a race that featured ranked teams aplenty, the men placed 23rd and the women 16th.

Top Performances
In the Men's College 8k, Caden Hildenbrand had a strong race and came out in 30th with a time of 25:05.4. Kellen Ruiz came in next who clocked in at 25:47.6 as well as 102nd place. Behind Ruiz was Arauny Reyes who crossed the finish line 26:24.8 for a 174th place finish.

Next up was Andrew Dewar, who clocked in 177th with a time of 26:25.1. The freshman was followed closely by Benjamin Bourne (188th, 26:28.8), as well as Eli Krueger (202nd, 26:33.0) and Nate Hamilton (248th, 26:55.5). Overall, George Fox finished in 23rd place out of 45 competitive schools. 

Several runners for George Fox also competed in the Open 8k. Jacob Shin was the top finisher, who clocked in a time of 25:58.6 and finished in 172nd place. Freshman Westin Madden followed close behind with a time of 26:11.7, — just 13 seconds behind Shin — and completed the race in 204th place. To end the 8k was Makai Peak; with a time of 26:39.1; he placed in 264th. The Bruins as a team placed 23rd.

The women's team continued the success into the Women's College White 6k bracket. Emily Foote had a day, finishing in an impressive 19th place with an overall time of 21:38.9. Just behind her was Breanna Schmitt who completed the race in 21:53.3, earning 27th place. 

Abbie Goodwin, Chloe Cook, Hope Bridge, and Reese Borchert finished in the middle of the pack with times of 23:04.8, 23:15.1, 23:22.2, and 23:28.3, respectively. Overall, the Lady Bruins finished in a stately 16th place. 

Sara Marino was the top finisher for the Bruins in the Open Women's 6k; she timed in at 23:29.9 and finished in 157th. Marilyn Green was close on her heels and crossed the finish line at 23:38.8 for a 176th place finish. 

Coach's Thoughts
"We saw some nice individual performances and PRs from several athletes," Bruin head coach Mike Wilson said, "Overall, I think we ran below average. We're a better team than we showed today, so that's tough. But, it's great experience on a big stage. There were lots of great teams here, so it's always worthwhile to take some notes, adjust, and see what we need to do to lock in and run a bit better."

What Happens Next
The Bruins who did not make the trip to PA will be on the course next on Saturday, October 4 in Salem, Ore, at Bush Pasture Park. The meet is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.