TACOMA, Wash.— Lewis & Clark College women's cross country placed 13^th out of 15 teams on Saturday morning in their first 6K race of the season. 

THE BASICS 
 
Lewis & Clark Women's Cross Country – 13^th out of 15 Teams – 296 points 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 

First year Ava Stewart, sophomore Eva Marley-Jester and junior Talia Tomhave all finished between 56^th and 67^th overall to lead the River Otters. 
 
Stewart paced the River Otters for a third-straight meet. The first year placed 56^th overall with a time of 24:04.2. Her time helped her crack the top-30 in program history for fastest 6K times by a first year. 
 
Marley-Jester placed second on the team for a third-straight week. Marley-Jester notched a time of 24:11.4 in her first collegiate 6K. She joined Stewart in the top-35 in program history for fastest 6K times by a first year. 
 
Tomhave placed third on the team, for a third-straight meet, and 67^th overall. The junior notched a time of 24:20.6. 
 
First year Zoe Benton placed fourth on the team in her collegiate debut. The first year posted a time of 25:21.2 to finish in 93^rd place. 
 
Sophomore Katherine Scannell earned the fifth and final spot in the scoring lineup for the second time this season. Scannell finished 128^th overall with a time of 26:55.6. 
 
Seniors Nadia Cota and Carolyn Mayberry were the next two Lewis & Clark runners to finish. Cota (27:48.2) placed 134rd overall and Mayberry (28:03.4) came across in 137^th place. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• Stewart, Marley-Jester, Benton, Scannell and Mayberry all posted collegiate-best 6K times. Scannell (105 seconds) and Mayberry (24.3 seconds) each improved their PRs by massive amounts. 
• Lewis & Clark (296 points) finished ahead of NWC school Whitman College (327) by 31 points. 
• Stewart (28^th) and Marley-Jester (34^th) each notched top-50 marks in program history by a first year. 
• NWC schools George Fox (35 points) and Whitworth University (71 points) finished first and second overall. The University of Puget Sound (4^th place, 117) and Pacific Lutheran University (12^th, 290 points) also competed on Saturday.

WHAT'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will be off next weekend, before heading to Spokane for the Frank Knott Classic on Saturday, October 3. The meet will be held at the "The Course" and will serve as a preview of the 2026 NCAA DIII West Regional Championship Meet.