Complete results
       Baker leads SPU men to 9th place at Sundodger
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SEATTLE -- Like most every distance runner, Alli Cutting tries to race at a planned pace. But at Saturday morning's Sundodger Invitational cross country meet, she didn't run according to plan.

She ran faster.

The Seattle Pacific freshman went toward the front of the pack from the first strides, was well ahead of schedule at both the mile and two-mile markers, and came home with an eighth-place finish in the Women's Open race at Lincoln Park in West Seattle.

Cutting (Sequim, Wash./Sequim HS) cruised along the 6-kilometer (3.72-mile) course in 22 minutes, 20.56 seconds, leading the Falcons to a No. 8 finish in the team standings with 219 points.

“It was a very first mile, and I was just hoping I could hold it,” said Cutting, who was aiming for somewhere between 6:00 and 6:10, but came through in 5:45. “Then my original calculation for the second mile was 12:20, and I was between 11:40 and 11:50.

“With about seven-tenths left, that's when I started feeling gassed. But I knew I could carry it through.”

Competing without front runner Natty Plunkett (Bellevue, Wash./Newport HS) and No. 3 Robyn Zeidler (Plymouth, Minn.), both of whom were sidelined with minor injuries, the Falcons again got some strong pack running behind Cutting to put themselves into the upper half of the 17-team field.

Freshman Megan Knape (Rockford, Mich.) set the pace for that pack, finishing 56th in 23:53.02. Just 16 seconds (24:09.52) and eight places (64th) behind her was sophomore Krysta Carrick (Tokyo, Japan), followed by freshman Leah Swanson (Seattle/Blanchet HS), who was 67th in 24:11.27. Kayla Wilkins (Vancouver, Wash./Evergreen HS) also was in the upper half of the overall pack, taking placing 90th in 24:34.42 to round out SPU's scoring.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference newcomer Simon Fraser won the team title with 35 points, placing three of its runners in the top five (led by individual winner Jessica Smith in 21:51.94) and all five scorers among the top 16. The only other GNAC school in the race was Saint Martin's, which placed ninth with 260 points.

The upper-half team placing definitely got the attention of interim head coach Letiwe Patton.

“They did very well considering Natty and Robyn weren't in there,” Patton said. “I couldn't have asked for more, especially from our top five. Alli had a very nice race, and I really think she has even more in her. The ladies are really working well as a team and they're working hard in practice, and it's really pahing off right now.”

Cutting, who won a Washington state high school cross country title as a junior in 2008, then added a track title in the 3,200 meters as a senior last spring, said that team aspect has helped her get off to such a fast start, which included a victory at last week's Apple Ridge Run Invitational in Yakima. On Saturday, she was as far up as sixth place beyond the midpoint of the race.

“The team has been amazing, and that has helped a lot with the transition from high school to collegiate running,” Cutting said.

Seattle Pacific will take a small group to Lacey next Saturday for the Saint Martin's Invitational.


NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
Sundodger Invitational
Saturday, September 18, 2010
6 kilometers (3.72 miles) at Lincoln Park/Seattle, Wash.

Team scores – 1, Simon Fraser 35; 2, Lewis & Clark 88; 3, Whitworth 95; 4, Southern Oregon 116; 5, British Columbia 126; 6, Everett CC 180; 7, Whitman 200; 8, Seattle Pacific 219; 9, Saint Martin's 260;10, Gonzaga 297; 11, Eastside Runners 309; 12, Puget Sound 325; 13, Mount Hoods CC 354; 14, Clackamas CC 390; 15, Highline CC 429; 16, Evergreen State 437; 17, Pacific Lutheran 492.
Top 10 – 1, Jessia Smith (SFU) 21:51.94; 2, Angela Shaw (SFU) 21:52.69; 3, Tonya Tuner (Whitworth) 21:53.75; 4, Illana Livstrom (L&C) 22:01.14; 5, Helen Croft (SFU) 22:03.83; 6, Joy Schufeldt (Whitworth) 22:05.55; 7, Marlene Farrell (Unattached) 22:09.42; 8, Alli Cutting (SPU) 22:20.56; 9, Emily Thomas (L&C) 22:24.78; 10, Erica Pitman (ER) 22:27.68. Other SPU placers – 56, Megan Knape 23:53.02; 64, Krysta Carrick 24:09.52; 67, Leah Swanson 24:11.27; 90, Kayla Wilkins 24:34.42; 95, Alexandra Dorsey 24:40.20; 113, Laura Moser 25:07.15; 127, Kelsey Brown 25:33.64; 128, Josephine Becker (SPU) 25:35.28; 160, Lisette Peterson 27:22.22.