Salvador Cordova, junior, placed 149th out of the 331 runners at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletic national cross-country meet.

Cordova ran a time of 26:19 for the 8-kilometer race.

Nicole Hartford, interim head coach, said that the course was challenging and that the weather conditions were not ideal.

“Sal had an awesome race and should be very proud,” Hartford said. “I don’t think he could have asked for a better race, given the difficulty of the course and strong winds.”

Cordova was PNW’s second-ever male NAIA cross-country national meet qualifier.

Hartford said that Cordova didn’t have a specific race plan going into the run but that she and Cordova did discuss the amount of hills and turns on the course.

“I think he ran a very smart race,” Hartford said. “Sometimes nerves get to you when you are running in a meet of that caliber, but he handled himself well.”

Hartford said that preparation leading up to the race went well and that Cordova felt good during the race.

“I hope he is very proud of himself,” Hartford said. “It’s a huge accomplishment to qualify for nationals.”