RESULTS

ESTACADA, Ore. — Friday morning's Lewis & Clark Opener at Milo McIver State Park marked a lot of firsts for the Portland State cross country program.
 
It was the Vikings' first meet of the season.
 
It was the Vikings' first meet under new head coach Joseph Blue.
 
And it's believed to be the first time the Viking women and men both ran a 5k during the program's Big Sky era (1996-present).
 
It's appropriate, then, that the Vikings' young runners dominated the top finishes for both teams, particularly on the men's side. Freshman Ari Smith became the first true freshman on the men's team to place in the top 10 at any meet since Drew Seidel and Josh Snyder placed sixth and ninth, respectively, at the 2018 Viking 'Rust-Buster.' Smith's classmate, Benjamin Sanchez nearly joined him in the top 10, finishing six seconds out in 11th. Two other freshmen – JD Arthur and Jorge Garcia – joined Smith and Sanchez among the Viking men's top five finishers.
 
On the women's side, veterans Emma Stolte and Taylor Nichols – both redshirt juniors – led the way for the Viking women, placing sixth and 13th, respectively. But other than that, the rest of the women's team's finishers were all freshmen or sophomores.
 
The depth from the Vikings' young runners helped both teams place third in the team standings. The Viking women placed third out of 12 teams with 97 total points thanks to Stolte (sixth), Nichols (13th), and freshmen Sam Sharp (16th) and Sonja Jones (24th) all placing in the top 25. The Viking men, meanwhile, placed third out of 11 teams with 86 total points behind Smith (eighth), Sanchez (11th), Luke Gillingham (16th) and Arthur (22nd) all finishing in the top 25.
 
Stolte posted the top individual finish on either team as her sixth-place finish in the women's 5k marked the highest individual finish of her Portland State career. Stolte ran with a group of five Oregon State runners at the front of the race while finishing in a personal-best time of 17:21.11. Stolte's time marked a new personal best by over 42 seconds in the cross country 5k. She nearly entered the all-time top 10 at the distance, missing out on the current No. 10 time – Liza Sajn, 17:18.00 at the 2021 Big Sky Championships – by three seconds.
 
Nichols also recorded her highest-ever individual finish by placing 13th. Her time of 18:19.71 marked a new personal best by nearly a minute while it came within a second of her 5k best on the track.
 
Sharp followed at 16th in 18:45.21, shaving 10 seconds off a four-year-old personal best in the cross country 5k from her freshman high school season.
 
Jones finished 24th overall in 19:26.52, while sophomore Irina López rounded out the Viking women's top five at 40th overall in 19:58.72.
 
Freshman Riley Amarillas finished three spots behind López at 43rd overall in 20:10.19. Sophomore Emily Schmitke placed 53rd in 20:38.95, while Talise Wapsheli (79th, 22:05.91) and Hannah Butterfield (100th, 23:57.83) closed out the contingent for the Viking women.
 
Smith led the Viking men with his eighth-place finish in 15:32.03. Sanchez followed in 11th in 15:46.84.
 
Gillingham – who only ran two races in a PSU singlet last year, so could almost be considered a redshirt freshman – shaved 14 seconds off his personal best in the cross country 5k while placing 16th overall in 15:53.02.
 
Arthur and Garcia closed out the team score for the Viking men while placing 22nd and 33rd, respectively, in times of 16:01.07 and 16:17.49.
 
Sophomore Luis Muradas finished three spots back of Garcia at 36th overall in 16:23.43, setting a new personal best in the cross country 5k by 14 seconds.
 
Freshman Vince Estrada followed at 41st overall in 16:31.40. Senior Tom Thake placed 53rd in 16:42.93, while sophomores Mika Sarver Huber and Kyle Chen crossed the line behind him at 64th and 68th, respectively, in times of 16:51.96 and 16:58.58.
 
Middle-distance runners Amir Ahmed and Aidan Brown finished 70th and 88th overall, respectively, in times of 17:01.33 and 17:23.44.
 
Sophomores Landen Sandoval and Simon Walsh rounded out the Viking men's runners at 107th and 112th overall, respectively, in 18:07.34 and 18:25.96.
 
The Vikings will race under-distance again for their next race, the Ash Creek Collegiate on Sept. 12 in Monmouth, Ore. The women will run another 5k while the men will run a 6k.
 
That should help ease the Vikings' younger runners into collegiate racing. Though after Friday's strong showing, they may be more ready than anyone would have thought.
 
Lewis & Clark Opener
Milo McIver State Park
Estacada, Ore.
Aug. 29, 2025
 
Women's Top Ten Finishers (5k):
1. Sage Brooks, Oregon State, 17:00.64; 2. Noemi Lundgren, Oregon State, 17:12.57; 3. Molly Latincsics, Oregon State, 17:17.81; 4. Ainsley Herron, Oregon State, 17:18.08; 5. Maya Baechler, Oregon State, 17:20.20; 6. Emma Stolte, Portland State, 17:21.11; 7. Nanette Novak-Klotz, Boise State, 17:34.62; 8. Haley Blaine, Boise State, 17:50.70; 9. Julia Kiesler, Boise State, 17:55.19; 10. Eliza Eckman, Oregon State, 18:15.20.
 
Women's Team Scores (5k):
1. Oregon State, 15 points; 2. Boise State, 47 points; 3. Portland State, 97 points; 4. Portland, 136 points; 5. George Fox, 154 points; 6. Corban, 172 points; 7. Bushnell, 201 points; 8. Pacific (Ore.), 209 points; 9. Lewis & Clark, 235 points; 10. Willamette, 263 points; 11. Lane CC, 289 points; 12. Linfield, 369 points.
 
Portland State Runners (out of 111 finishers):
6. Emma Stolte, 17:21.11; 13. Taylor Nichols, 18:19.71; 16. Sam Sharp, 18:45.21; 24. Sonja Jones, 19:26.52; 40. Irina López, 19:58.72; 43. Riley Amarillas, 20:10.19; 53. Emily Schmitke, 20:38.95; 79. Talise Wapsheli, 22:05.91; 100. Hannah Butterfield, 23:57.83.
 
Men's Top Ten Finishers (5k):
1. Alex Kilby, Boise State, 14:56.88; 2. Jack Sheesley, Boise State, 15:04.80; 3. Braylon Baggett, Boise State, 15:11.61; 4. Collin Penuel, Portland, 15:12.55; 5. Ezra Teeples, Boise State, 15:14.81; 6. Cody Lucas, Boise State, 15:20.74; 7. Quinn Higgins, Lewis & Clark, 15:31.06; 8. Ari Smith, Portland State, 15:32.03; 9. Matthew Cordova, Portland, 15:35.53; 10. Hugh Kent, Portland, 15:40.20.
 
Men's Team Scores (5k):
1. Boise State, 17 points; 2. Portland, 49 points; 3. Portland State 86 points; 4. George Fox, 109 points; 5. Lewis & Clark, 128 points; 6. Lane CC, 167 points; 7. Willamette, 183 points; 8. Pacific (Ore.), 202 points; 9. Corban, 255 points; 10. Clark, 293 points; 11. Bushnell, 316 points.
 
Portland State Runners (out of 135):
8. Ari Smith, 15:32.03; 11. Benjamin Sanchez, 15:46.84; 16. Luke Gillingham, 15:53.02; 22. JD Arthur, 16:01.07; 33. Jorge Garcia, 16:17.49; 36. Luis Muradas, 16:23.43; 41. Vince Estrada, 16:31.40; 53. Tom Thake, 16:42.93; 64. Mika Sarver Huber, 16:51.96; 68. Kyle Chen, 16:58.58; 70. Amir Ahmed, 17:01.33; 88. Aidan Brown, 17:23.44; 107. Landen Sandoval, 18:07.34; 112. Simon Walsh, 18:25.96.