Pepp Cross Country Teams Give Lukewarm Performance at Championships

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Pepperdine Waves runners (from left) Nick Heath (119), Kyle Johnson (120) and Karl Winter (123) compete against San Francisco Dons runners (right) at the West Coast Conference championships

The Waves men and women’s cross country teams competed at the annual West Coast Conference championships on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the East Bay Golf Course in Utah. 

Pepperdine’s highest placings came from senior Nick Heath and sophomore Abbey Meck. Heath came in at 24:42.4 for 25th place in the men’s 5k race. Meck came in at 22:39.0 for 34th place in the women’s 6k.

Overall, according to Pepperdine Athletics, the men’s team placed seventh—their highest achievement in the championships since 2009—while the women’s team placed 10th.

The competition was not without controversy; two Waves players were disqualified from the race. 

In a quote shared online by Pepperdine Athletics, coach Robert Radnoti said, “We had a setback on the men’s side when two of our athletes were disqualified. The officials said they and a couple of other runners took three steps outside the white line.” 

The cross country teams now look to prepare for the Sacramento State-hosted NCAA West Regional championships next Friday, Nov. 9.