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SFU places seventh in NCAA Division II debut

Clan senior Lindsey Butterworth finishes ahead of all west region runners to finish 12th overall in women's six-kilometre race in Spokane, Washington
Tom Berridge
cross-country
Clan senior Lindsey Butterworth, seen here in earlier race, led SFU to a seventh-place finish in first-ever NCAA Division II national cross-country championshipBurnaby NOW file photo

Simon Fraser University finished in the top dozen teams in the country at its first-ever NCAA Division II national cross-country championships.

Clan senior Lindsey Butterworth, who placed fourth at the earlier West Region championships, finished in 12th place, the highest placing of all regional qualifiers.

Butterworth ran the six-kilometre circuit in a time of 21:23.7 to lead the Clan team to seventh place in the overall aggregate at the championships held in Spokane, Washington on Saturday.

“At the beginning of the season the goal was a top-10 finish, so we’re very happy with how things turned out,” said SFU head coach Britt Townsend in a Clan press release. “We didn’t have Kansas (Mackenzie), who had to drop out with a stress fracture, and that was tough. She tried to compete and wanted to help the team, but she was in agony over the first two kilometers. Unfortunately that probably cost us 60 or 70 points that would have put us in the top four.”

Fellow Clan senior Kirstin Allen was second in team scoring, placing 37th in a time of 21:47.8. Allen was followed closely by sophomore teammate Emma Chadsey in 43rd spot.

Senior Sarah Sawatzky also finished in the top 100 in a time of 22:34.6. Freshman Rebecca Bassett and senior Michaela Kane also competed in the 244-runner field.

The Clan had the second-best finish among Great Northwest conference schools and third-best among west region teams, placing behind fourth-place-finishing Anchorage Alaska and sixth-place Chico State.

“Our team went in determined and we had some bad luck with one of our top runners getting injured, but that happens sometimes,” said Townsend. “We were just five points behind Chico State and 45 points behind Alaska Anchorage. It just shows how talented this team is. We have the tools and the people to be among the best in the nation.

The nationals was the first appearance by SFU at the NCAA Div. II cross-country championships in just its second year of eligibility after transferring from the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, where the Clan won more national championship titles than any other school in history.