ESTACADA, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College men's cross country earned their first team victory since their 2017 opener on Friday morning, when the River Otters placed first out of five teams at the Lewis & Clark XC Opener. 
 
THE BASICS 
 
Men's Cross Country – 1^st out of 5 Teams – 33 Points 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
 
Five Lewis & Clark student-athletes finished in the top-12, to help Lewis & Clark defeat NAIA Lewis-Clark State (45 points) and NCAA DI Portland State University (46 points). The victory marked the program's first win since they defeated Pacific University head-to-head at the Westmoreland Season Opener on September 1, 2017. 
 
Seniors Quinn Higgins and Emil Miller led the River Otters. Higgins posted a career-best, second-place finish. He ran in the lead pack the entire way and sat in first place at the 2K and 4K check marks. Higgins ultimately crossed the line (5K) in 15:03.9 – just 2.2 seconds behind Portland State's Ari Smith. 
 
Miller ran in the lead pack of four for most of the race and held the lead after 3K. The senior sat in 6^th after the opening 1K, but moved into third at the 2K mark and stayed in the top four the rest of the way. He crossed the line in a career-best fourth place with a time of 15:08.8. 
 
Senior Evan Markelz and junior AJ Gibbs joined Higgins and Miller in the top-10. Markelz posted a time of 15:17.6 to place seventh overall. Gibbs notched a career-best ninth-place finish. He moved up at every check point and ultimately finished with a time of 15:41.9. 
 
Senior Sam Garcia was the team's fifth and final scorer. Garcia sat 16^th after the opening 3K but moved up two spots at each of the final two checkpoints to place 12^th. He notched a time of 15:56.7 in his first collegiate race in almost 10 months. 
 
First year Dylan McGuirk led four Lewis & Clark newcomers who made their collegiate debuts at Milo McIver State Park. McGuirk crossed the finish line in 16:08.5 to place 17^th overall. 
 
Fellow first year Tait Ostrom placed seventh on the River Otters. Ostrom posted a time of 16:15.0 to come in 20^th place. 
 
First years Ukiah Moon Steury and Nico Rossini and senior Jordan Wu finished back-to-back-to-back. Steury placed 26^th overall with a time of 16:42.7. Rossini moved up throughout the race and placed 27^th overall when he crossed the line in 16:45.2. Wu recorded a time of 16:46.0 to take 28^th place. 
 
Senior John Blockhus crossed the line next for Lewis & Clark. The senior notched a time of 17:00.9 to finish in 32^nd place.
 
Senior Teagon Aasen posted a 47^th-place finish with a time of 19:05.5. 
 
BY THE NUMBERS 

• Men's cross country's last victory in a meet with three or more teams came in 2011. Lewis & Clark tied for first with Whitman College (46 points) at the Boxer Rebellion in a field of five teams. 
• Higgins, Miller, Markelz, Gibbs, McGuirk, Ostrom, Moon Steury, Rossini, Wu, Blockhus and Aasen all posted collegiate-best 5K times in the opener. 
• McGuirk, Ostrom, Moon Steury and Rossini all made their collegiate debuts on Friday. 
• Miller and Gibbs each earned their first career top-10 finishes at a cross country meet. 

WHAT'S NEXT 
 
Lewis & Clark will return to action next Friday, when they travel to Western Oregon University for the Ash Creek Invitational.