5K Invitational Results

SANTA CLARA, Calif.— The Cal State San Marcos women's cross country team has had a penchant for stepping up in big races over the last several years. Saturday proved to be no different. In possibly the toughest challenge of the season for the NAIA No. 1 ranked Cougars, the ladies delivered once again, beating a deep field of 16 teams to win the Santa Clara Invitational.

The three-time defending national champions faced stiff competition from A.I.I. rival and NAIA No. 2 British Columbia, as well as 12 NCAA Division I opponents, but walked away victorious with 106 points. Long Beach State finished second with 110 points, New Mexico State placed third with 111, and British Columbia was fourth with 140.

Leading the pack for San Marcos was two-time All-American Kelly Thompson, who finished the 5-kilometer course in 17:17, making her now the third fastest performer in school history. Her efforts locked up a sixth place overall finish, and third among intercollegiate scorers. Not far behind was fellow All-American Chelsey Cortez, who was the sixth scoring finisher in 17:24.

Juniors Heidi Swanson and Ayded Reyes both had exceptional races, each breaking the 18-minute barrier for the first time. Swanson scored 19 points for the team with a time of 17:47, and Reyes added 29 with her time of 17:58.

Coming up large for the Cougars was freshman Meghan Hamlin, who ran a personal best by 40 seconds to close out the scoring for CSUSM with 47 points in 18:12. In all, the average total team time was 17:44, a performance that ranks as tied for the third fastest in team history.

"When you have the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country in the same race, obviously there's a lot of pressure to perform," said head coach Steve Scott. "The girls definitely stepped up today. A lot of girls had outstanding races, but the performance of the day has to be Meghan Hamlin's 40 second PR. She really came through and stepped up her game."

With five solid scorers and a few frontrunners who can be near the front of any race, the Cougars will retain their No. 1 ranking heading into next week's Cougar Challenge held at CSUSM's Mangrum Track and Soccer Field on Saturday, October 20. 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.