Pixler named top female athlete

Jessica Pixler, an Eastlake graduate and cross country athlete at Seattle Pacific University, was recently honored as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Female Athlete of the Year.

Pixler, a junior who is the defending NCAA Division II champion, cruised to her third straight GNAC title this fall. She took the lead from the start and finished her 6,000 meters at Apple Ridge Run just outside of Yakima in 21 minutes, 12 seconds – a 39-second margin ahead of runner-up Sarah Porter from Western Washington. It was Pixler’s third consecutive conference crown and her third Athlete of the Year honor.

The Falcon women will run in the West Regional meet on Nov. 8 at UC San Diego. A top-five finish for the women will send them to Slippery Rock, Pa., for the Division II nationals on Nov. 22.