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September 18, 2008 Lacey, WA – Saint Martin’s University currently has two regionally ranked teams in the latest polls including men’s cross country and women’s soccer. The men’s cross country team is ranked 10th in the USTFCCCA (U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association) regional poll. It is only the second time since the inception of the program that the team has garnered a spot in the rankings. The Saints are one of four GNAC teams to be ranked; the others include Western Washington at No. 2, Alaska Anchorage No. 3 and Western Oregon No. 5. The Saints have finished second as a team in their first two meets of the year with John Riak and Josiah Price finishing 1-2 in both races. “Considering our team is made up of only two returnees; John Riak, and Nick Harvey, this bodes well for our team in the future,” said head coach Julie Sullivan. “Freshmen Kyle Van Santen, Spencer Hunt, Noah Caffrey, Jacob Suazo, and Clinton Barr, together with graduate student and first time collegiate runner Josiah Price are doing a great job for the team.” For the second week in a row, the women’s soccer team finds itself in the NSCAA (National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Far West regional rankings in 10th place. The Saints are 2-4 on the season, picking up wins against Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Chico, who are ranked sixth and 9th in the poll respectively. It is the first ranking for the Saints who are in their second season of competition. “This ranking is quite an honor. The women have played some very good teams early in the season. The ranking is great for us, but our focus now has to be on getting results in the conference and not what we did a week or two ago. We’ll do what all good teams do: take it one game at a time and try and get the most out of every day,” said head coach Rob Walker. “From a coaching view, Coach Giove and I are enjoying the effort the women put out and how hard they work to adjust to the peaks and valleys that come from the day-to-day life of a student athlete. The kids are great to be around and we are all looking forward to our first contest in Ellensburg against Central on Saturday.”
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