8K Invitational Results

SANTA CLARA, Calif.— In a field rich with NCAA Division I talent, the Cal State San Marcos men's cross country team proved that not only do they belong, but they can compete as well. In fact, the Cougars nearly walked away with the individual champion, as senior Daniel Lyon duked it out until the very end with John Gilbertson from The Master's College before finishing 2nd in the field of 157 runners.

In all, the Cougars finished 10^th in the 19-team field with 227 points, but had the third fastest total team time— better than even UCLA and Colorado. Of course, much of this was due to an outstanding performance by the two-time NAIA All-American Daniel Lyon. Lyon's 8-kilometer time of 23:44 shattered the previous school record by 30 seconds, becoming the first Cougar to break the elite 24-minute barrier. Lyon was only one of three competitors under 24 minutes in the competition.

Fellow two-time All-American Western Nelson also had a strong race, finishing 14th overall in 24:24. Freshman Steven Ing eclipsed the 25-minute mark, running 24:59 to finish in 52nd place. Deng Akuien and Nate Avalos rounded out the top five for San Marcos, running 25:19 and 25:40, respectively. Akuien's time was a personal best by 23 seconds.

While the No. 2 Cougars were edged out by a single point to A.I.I. conference rival and 5th ranked British Columbia, head coach Steve Scott was pleased by the effort and the 30-second advantage in team time they held over the Thunderbirds. He also likes the way his team stacks up against them in both the fields for the A.I.I. Championship and NAIA National Championship, which he expects to be great races.

The Cougars will return home to compete at the 2012 Cougar Challenge next Saturday, October 20 at the Mangrum Track and Soccer Field. The event is inter-collegiate but also open to the public, with the women's 5K race starting at 8:00 am, and the men's 8K race getting underway at 8:45. The course is flat and very fast, and many personal bests are likely to be set. For more information or to register for the event, please see the 2012 Cougar Challenge Flyer.