Nelson and Posdon lead Seattle U into championship preparation.

Rain City Sports editorial desk | Recap and analysis | October 18, 2026

Seattle University finished its cross-country regular season with progress across both squads on Saturday, October 17. At the George Oja Invitational at Oak Knoll Golf Course in Independence, Oregon, the Redhawk women placed sixth among 29 programs and the men placed fifth among 32.

The results offer more than a list of faster times. They give Seattle U a final competitive checkpoint before the West Coast Conference Championship, with several runners contributing near the front of the team rather than one performance standing alone.

Nelson and Dale move up the program list

Freshman Adelaide Nelson led the women in 15th place, completing the 6K in 21:33.8. Seattle U’s official recap identifies the time as a personal best and the 11th-fastest mark in program history.

Lydia Dale finished 26th in 21:52.3, breaking 22 minutes for the first time and moving into a tie for 19th on Seattle U’s all-time list. Aavi Bass followed in 28th at 21:56.7, giving the Redhawks another runner close behind their leading pair.

Those performances gave the women a useful group near the front of their order. Annabelle Clapp and Cate Bishop also recorded personal bests, contributing to a day on which the school reported several improvements throughout the squad.

Posdon sets the pace for the men

Jeremy Posdon was Seattle U’s leading man in 21st place, running a personal-best 24:19.0 over 8K. Roman Radecki finished 31st in 24:29.9, followed by Jovanny Lieb in 45th at 24:45.9 and Khalid Hirsi in 47th at 24:51.3.

The official recap reports 13 men with personal bests and another with a season best. That is evidence of broad progress in this particular meet, not a promise that a different course or field will produce the same finishing order.

What the team result means

Cross-country scoring rewards a group’s finishing positions, so development beyond the leading runner has practical value. A faster fourth or fifth runner can affect the total even when the first finisher’s position stays unchanged.

Our analysis: Seattle U’s encouraging feature is the number of athletes contributing to the improvement. Posdon and Nelson supplied clear leading performances, but the team finishes also depended on the runners behind them. Championship preparation should protect that collective progress rather than turning the next race into an individual time trial.

Expectations need the right comparison

A personal best is a legitimate achievement. Comparing times across courses, weather and race conditions still requires care. The official report does not supply enough comparable course data to convert Saturday’s improvements into a precise forecast for the conference meet.

That limit does not diminish the performances. It changes the next question. Instead of assuming that every runner will reproduce the same clocking, watch whether the Redhawks maintain competitive positioning when the field becomes more concentrated and the race develops differently.

The same caution applies to the team places. Fifth and sixth in these fields are useful results, but they should not be presented as a predicted WCC finish. The championship will have its own opponents, scoring dynamics and decisions.

What to watch next

Seattle U’s official report lists the WCC Championship for Friday, October 30, at Tecolote Shores in San Diego. The preparation window now shifts from collecting another regular-season result to arriving ready to race together.

Watch the spacing between the Redhawks’ scorers and whether the athletes who improved on Saturday can keep making useful competitive decisions late in the race. The George Oja meet supplied momentum and measurable progress. The next task is converting both into a championship team performance.

Sources

• Seattle U — Official October 17 George Oja Invitational recap (checked 2026-10-18)
• Seattle U — Cross-country schedule (checked 2026-10-18)

Analysis and recommendations are the editorial desk’s interpretation. Reporting and attributed perspectives are linked above. Information is current as of the publication date.