Proctor, Klotter Lead Cross Country Teams to Top-Five Finishes

Saturday, September 19

Santa Clarita, Calif.

Grand Canyon

Mustang Challenge

Proctor, Klotter Lead Cross Country Teams to Top-Five Finishes

9/19/2015 11:25:00 AM | Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- Competing in their second meet of the season, the Grand Canyon men's and women's cross country teams each placed fifth at the Mustang Challenge hosted by The Master's College. Running on the 8k course, the men's team finished with 170 points in a total time of 2:11:38, easing eclipsing last year's team placing by three spots. The women's team also improved over last year's results at the event, moving up from sixth to fifth place with a score of 155 in a total time of 1:33:08 on the 5k course.

UCLA won the men's race with a team total of 38 points by pacing the course in a total time of 2:07.31. The Bruins were followed by Loyola Marymount, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Fullerton and GCU among the 18 men's teams. On the women's side, Loyola Marymount, who was led by Danielle Shannan with medalist honors in 17:23.18, took home the team title, scoring 36 points by totalling 1:29.17 on the course. LMU finished ahead of second-place UCLA, Biola, The Master's College and GCU among the 20 women's squads.

Sophomore Samuel Proctor led the Lopes with a fourth-place scoring finish in the men's race. Proctor, who was the Western Athletic Conference Runner of the Week following GCU's opening meet of the season, cruised through the course in 25:22.93, less than 23 seconds behind the individual medalist, Myles Smith of UCLA, who crossed the finish line in 25:00.68.

Along with Proctor, Jose Retana also posted a top-20 finish Saturday morning, running to a time of 26:02.04 to place 18th among attached runners. Retana, a junior, was closely followed by senior Mathew Jackson, whose time of 26:10.29 netted him a 27th-place finish. Freshmen Brendon Wagler (27:00.30) and Garet Kaul (27:02.59) rounded out the Lopes' scoring.

Like Proctor, the GCU women were led by a WAC Runner of the Week honoree from earlier this year, as senior Kelsi Klotter grabbed the seventh-place scoring slot on the leaderboard, crossing the line in 18:00.74. Junior Emily Wilkinson posted a finish in the top 20 as well, placing 17th in 18:18.44. Sophomore Mariah Montoya recorded a 26th-place finish in 18:34.87, while senior Rebekah Young (18:59.28) and senior Kendra Altman (19:14.23) also each placed in the top 70 of the 226 runners to complete GCU's scoring.

The Lopes return to the course on Oct. 3 at the Rim Rock Farm Classic in Lawrence, Kan.