TACOMA – That didn't take long.
 
In just the second race of her college cross country career, Seattle Pacific's Annika Esvelt put her first victory into the books, reaching the finish line 15 seconds ahead of anyone else on Saturday at the PLU Invitational.
 
 

Esvelt, an academic sophomore who did run track for the Falcons last spring but didn't get to do cross country because the 2020 fall season was canceled by the coronavirus pandemic, clocked a time of 22 minutes, 15.70 seconds on the 6-kilometer course at Pacific Lutheran University.
 
With fellow sophomore Ellie Rising running to third place, the Falcons finished fifth in the team standings, totaling 118 points.
 
Esvelt's cross country debut came last Friday in the Ash Creek Invitational at Western Oregon University. She was third across the line, although that one was just 4 kilometers.
 
Saturday's race was the longest of her still-blossoming SPU career. Esvelt was up front for nearly the entire 6 kilometers, which was three loops of the PLU layout.
 
"I was pretty surprised that I was basically leading the whole way," Esvelt said. "I thought some of the other girls from other teams would start too fast and I could leach off them until partway through, and then I would make a move. It ended up being mostly SPU (runners) throughout the whole thing. So about halfway through, I was feeling good, I sped up and basically didn't slow down."
 
Falcons associate head coach / distance coach Chris Reed believed coming into the season that Esvelt had the capability of finding some success and getting people's attention. She certainly has done that the past two weekends, particularly on Saturday.
 
 

"She asserted herself pretty early on," Reed said. "She was always in the lead or on the lead and ran with a lot of confidence. When she made a move, she made it with conviction and made it with enough authority that no one was able to catch her. It was great to see."
 
Rising, the defending GNAC outdoor track 800-meter champion, ran a 6K cross country race last February at the Central Washington Winter Invitational. In that one, she clocked 24:49.3. She was more than two minutes faster on Saturday, coming through in 22:45.20.
 
"She seems to believe in herself a lot more at this point in the fall than at this point last fall," Reed said. "She has the talent and everyone knows she has the speed. Right now, she's showing herself and everyone else that she's more than just a middle-distance runner."
 
Kelsey Washenberger was third for SPU and 12^th overall, stopping the watch in 23:28.70.
 
BOUTIN LEADS FALCON MEN TO 5TH
Colin Boutin ran to an 11^th-place finish and was joined in the top 20 by freshman Breannan LeBlanc on Saturday as Seattle Pacific placed fifth in the men's meet with 128 points.
 
 

In the first 8-kilometer race of the season after a pair of 6Ks in the first two weeks, Boutin logged a time of 26 minutes, 15.30 seconds. LeBlanc, a sophomore who ran at Sierra Nevada College in 2019, but hadn't been in a cross country race since then, was 17^th in 26:22.50.
 
"It was nice to see Brennan finally get out there and race – it's been a long time waiting for him," Reed said. "He ran poised and assertive, and it was nice to see that the first time out."
 
The Falcons had just five in action on Saturday, but Reed continues to be pleased with the progress.
 
"They've run better every race they've been in," he said. "With only five on the starting line, everybody mattered. It wasn't a perfect day, but we had some good things happen for us."
 
UP NEXT
After three races in three weeks, the Falcons will turn their attention to two weeks of training in preparation for the Chambers Creek College Open, set for Saturday, Oct. 2
 
The meet will be at Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, south of Tacoma. The 5-kilometer women's race starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 10:00 a.m.
 

NCAA WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
PLU Invitational
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021
6 kilometers Pacific Lutheran Cross Country Course / Tacoma, Wash.
 
Team scores – 1, Pacific (Oregon) 40; 2, Lewis & Clark 58; 3, Pacific Lutheran 10; 4, Whitworth 113; 5, Seattle Pacific 118; 6, Central Washington 130; 7, Pierce College 182; 8, Puget Sound 195; 9, Olympic College 244.
 
Top 5 – 1, Annika Esvelt (SPU) 2215.70; 2, Kara Putman (Pacific) 22:30.40; 3, Ellie Rising (SPU) 22:45.20; 4, Annie Berry (Pacific) 23:02.40; 5, Riley Buese (L&C) 23:03.80.
 
Other SPU – 12, Kelsey Washenberger 23:28.70; 69, Johanna Brown 28:39.80; 70, Charisma Smith 28:40.50; 79, McKenzie Fletcher 32:20.70.
 
 
NCAA MEN'S CROSS COUNTRY
PLU Invitational
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021
8 kilometers Pacific Lutheran Cross Country Course / Tacoma, Wash.
 
Team scores – 1, Pacific Lutheran 63; 2, Central Washington 68; 3, Lewis & Clark 70; 4, Puget Sound 122; 5, Seattle Pacific 128; 6, Whitworth 140; 7, Pacific (Oregon) 146; 8, Green River CC 183.
 
Top 5 – 1, Riley Stewart (Pacific) 25:21.50; 2, Ryan Stracke (PLU) 25:25.80; 3, Frankie Reid (L&C) 25:33.90; 4, Cayan Dibble (GRCC) 25:41.70; 5, Colin Monagham (UPS) 25:45.30.
 
SPU placers – 11, Colin Boutin 26:15.30; 17, Brennan LeBlanc 26:22.50; 27, Jon Owen 26:58.60; 44, Ben Sheirbon 27:41.80; 54, Gabe Endresen 28:17.80.