TACOMA, Wash. -- The George Fox cross country team pulled off a clean sweep at the Pacific Lutheran Invitational, with both the men and women's teams placing first among a host of NWC foes.

Top Performances
The women opened up the day in the 6K, with Breanna Schmitt making a thunderous return. The fifth-year senior and former All-American ended her day as the top D-III runner with a 21:10.4, placing second. Chloe Cook wasn't far behind with 21:47.6 to put her at fourth. Hope Bridge was two places away , in sixth with a 22:07.1. 

Reese Borchert almost joined the top 10 crew, coming in 11th, running a 22:36.2. Karina Rodriguez was running next to her, two seconds behind (22:38.4). 

Natalie Oathout and Claire Matthews were also two seconds apart and finished back-to-back, in 17th and 18th — Oathout with a time of 22:48.3, and Matthews, a 22:50.2. 

For the men, Andrew Dewar just slotted in the top three, 25:11.4. Westin Madden and Emil Miller of Lewis & Clark finished in a dead heat for fifth/sixth, and ended with an official tie, with each athlete coming in at 25:22.3. Caleb Hawkins slid in 10th with 25:38.3. Drew Baker followed, finishing with 25:45 flat. 

Makai Peak ran 25:49.4 to earn him 14th place. Isaac Montanes (25:54.6) and Jefferson Smith (26:02.0) rounded out the top seven Fox finishers, coming in right next to each other in 16th and 17th. 

The women ended in first with a total score of 35, Whitworth trailing them with 71. Spokane Community College followed with 93. The men also took the win, 44, over Whitworth's 67. Lewis and Clark came in third (75). Alauna Carstens of Evergreen State (20:50.9) and London Haley of Whitworth (24:27.8) ended as the race winners.

Coach's Thoughts
"I think we showed our depth today," Bruin head coach Mike Wilson said, "We have a lot of strength on both sides, and both men and women executed the race strategies cleanly today. It's a great first step toward some of our season goals, and a lot of fun to see the growth and depth."

What Happens Next
The Bruins will have a few weeks before going back up to Washington for the Whitworth Invitational in Spokane on October 3. The day is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.