With about one kilometer left in the race, the women’s cross country team was down 18 spots and were flirting with a third place finish in the West Coast Conference title race. But with perseverance, composure and determination, the Pilots were able to finish with the best score and win the West Coast Conference title for the first time since 2008.
Led by Junior Lauren LaRocco, the 10th ranked Pilots (42 points) just barely beat Brigham Young University (44 points) and University of San Francisco (47 points) to take home the trophy.
In the last 31 years, the Pilots have won 20 WCC championships, including this year. With this win, the Pilots are back on top. LaRocco has had strong showings all year and, according to head coach Ian Solof, is a big reason for the win.
“She has everything that you want in a runner, everything that a coach looks for. She’s really talented. She works hard and she lives the runner lifestyle. She’s very smart and very coachable,” Solof said.
In this race, LaRocco was the first one to cross the finish line. She beat out every other runner to give Portland a huge advantage in this race. Her ability to finish in first place, fighting off a BYU runner, was extremely important for this Pilots team.
“I told our team, ‘If Lauren doesn’t win the meet, then we won’t win the title,’” head coach Ian Solof said.
LaRocco has had runs like this all year. She finished third at the Griak Invitational, ninth at the Pre-Nationals and finished first in the Conference meet by almost 30 seconds.
LaRocco wasn’t the only runner that helped give Portland the championship. Redshirt junior Parkes Kendrick and redshirt senior Anne Luijten both finished in the top 10, while teammates senior Anna Farello, redshirt sophomore Taryn Rawlings, redshirt junior Mathilde Sagnes and senior Grace McConnochie all placed in the top 25.
This win has meant a lot to the team, as they continue their impressive 2016 season. Individual success takes a back seat to this team, as all they want is to do well together.
“It’s fun to be on a really good team, and I want to compete on the national level, but I prefer to do that as a team, with this team, rather than individually,” LaRocco said.
Next Friday, Nov. 11, the Pilots will race in the NCAA Regionals and then on Nov. 19, they will race at Nationals in the NCAA tournament.
