Levora, Burgstahler shine at XC conference championships

COLFAX, Wash. — Sophomore Sam Levora had one of the best races of his college career, finishing 32nd overall to help lead the Washington State men’s cross country team to a sixth place finish recently at the Pac-12 Championships at the Colfax Golf Club, hosted by the Cougars.

Levora, one of the top athletes to come out of Sandpoint in the past decade, clocked a 24:04 on the 8K course, finishing third among the Cougar men in a race that featured many of the top cross country runners in the country, as the Pac 12 is unquestionably the top cross country conference in the country.

The No. 1-ranked Colorado men, the defending national champions, won their fifth consecutive team title with 46 points followed by No. 23 Stanford with 57, No. 3 Oregon 83, No. 20 Washington 96, No. 15 UCLA 127, Washington State 137, No. 21 California 167, Arizona State 218 and Arizona 271.

The next competition for Levora and the WSU harriers is the NCAA West Regional, Nov. 13, at Jefferson Park Golf Course in Seattle.

n Burgstahler 35th for Johnnies

ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former Sandpoint 800 runner and soccer player Matthew Burgstahler finished 35th to help the Saint John’s cross country team finish second out of 11 teams at the 2015 MIAC Championship recently.

Burgstahler clocked a 27:31 on the 8K course, helping the Johnnies to their best finish since conference titles in 2006-07.

The Johnnies host the annual SJU Fall Finale at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6, near the water tower in Collegeville.