Eugene, Ore. - The 2021 season ended in a trip to the NAIA National Championship race and if the 2022 Alumni Challenge was any indication, a return engagement may be in the cards. 

The Beacons beat their alumni counterparts, 15-49, sweeping the top six places, as Alec Carne won his debut by 31 seconds over senior Linus Rueegger. 

Returning to running after a one-year hiatus, Carne was impressive in his Beacon debut. "It has been weird, going through that phase of not running in a while," said Carne. "You sort of lose that feeling of what it is like to race, but to hear the gun go off and get that feeling back was really cool. I was hoping for a strong race and definitely knew I was capable of it."

Carne came across the 5000m course in 16:23.6, followed by Rueegger at 16:54.20. Sophomore Noah Mancione was third (17:10.2), followed by freshman Jonathan Rosebrook in fourth (17:13.8) and junior Christopher Rosebrook in fifth (17:36.8). 

Also running for the Beacons were freshman Will Callahan (6th place, 18:17.1), freshman Sayer Pescosolido (8th, 18:51.2), junior Connor Woodcock (10th, 19:40.4), freshman Seth Handman (14th, 20:52.6), and freshman Isaac Bodley (15th, 22:07.0). 

For the alumni, Cody Aucoin led the way with a seventh-place finish (18:46). He was followed by former assistant coach Ryan Booth in 9th, Hunter Tyler in 11th, Jason Bell in 12th, and Jeremy Aucoin in 13th. 

After the race, head coach Tom Boldon said, "Our freshman class has already shown that they are going to make a difference. Alec, Jonathan, Sayer, and Will all ran well and will continue to get stronger if they stay healthy. Linus and Noah looked good today and yet are far from mid-season form. Most of our guys were asked to tempo the first part of today's race and start building over the last half. We have got work to do, but I think this team is ready for it. Overall, we had some things to be encouraged about, even in an exhibition meet. We look forward to our first collegiate meet of the season in just under two weeks in Lake Oswego."

The Beacons will officially take to the course on September 1, competing in the Lewis & Clark College Opener.