Saturday proved to be a phenomenal end to the regular season for Coach Steve Scott's cross-country teams, as the Cougar men won the Biola Invitational and the women finished second in a field that featured the top four teams in the nation.
In the men's race, the Cougars were able to hold off Simon-Fraser to secure the big victory. CSUSM posted a team total of 72, edging past Simon-Fraser's 77. Cal Baptist finished third with a 100.
Individually, the Cougars got plenty of strong performances that contributed to the victory. The team's top two runners, Muluken Beressa and Dave Edwards, delivered as they usually do. Beressa, who has been the team's top runner throughout the season, finished 3rd in the field with a time of 25:16. Edwards, who appears to be getting stronger as the season progress, was close behind, taking 4th with a 25:21.
Next on the team was Chris Capeau, who posted a 25:50 to finish 13th. Patrick Fitzgerald made it an impressive four Cougar runners to break 26 minutes, running 25:59 to place 19th. Bernardo Bahena rounded out the team's top-5 by placing 33rd with a 26:37.
For the women in the 5k, Saturday's meet was a chance to see how they stack up against the best in the NAIA, and the #2-ranked Cougars lived up to their ranking. #1 Azusa Pacific won the meet with a total score of 43, while CSUSM posted a 55 to take second. #3 Simon-Fraser finished 3rd with 60 points, and #4 Biola rounded out the top-4 with a 72.
For the first time this season, the Cougars had a top finisher other than Dallon Williams. Sophomore Cady Villarreal took 3rd in the meet, running a very solid 17:40. Williams of course was not far behind, finishing 4th with a 17:47, and neither was junior Jessica Sandoval, who took 6th with an 18:02.
The Cougars then got a huge boost from an unlikely source. In a field that included many of the NAIA's top runners, Jen Allbright broke into the top-20, finishing 20th with a time of 18:38. Lindsey McKown was right behind her at 18:39, good for 22nd, and Kelly Thompson took 23rd with an 18:40.
It's an outstanding performance for both the Cougar men's and women's teams, and should certainly spell good things for the A.I.I. Conference Championship in two weeks, which CSUSM is hosting.
