Results IRVINE, Calif.— The top ranked Cal State San Marcos women's cross country team began their hunt for a fourth consecutive NAIA National Championship Saturday at the UC Irvine Invitational, finishing third place out of 14 teams.
It was a promising opener for the revamped squad that returns just three of their top sever runners from a year ago, as the Cougars finished ahead of many NCAA Division I programs such as Loyola Marymount, Long Beach State, and UC Irvine, as well as former top NAIA rival Azusa Pacific.
The Cougars finished with 119 points and an average team time of 18:30, trailing just University of Arkansas and USC. Leading the way for San Marcos was two-time All-American
Kelly Thompson, who finished 12
th overall in a stacked field with a time of 17:55.8
Fellow NAIA All-American
Chelsey Cortez placed 17
th in 18:16.6, and junior
Heidi Swanson was not far behind in 22
nd with a time of 18:22.7. Junior transfer
Ayded Reyes recorded a strong finish in her first race the Cougars, placing 31
st in 18:44.7, while track and field All-American
Michelle Cruz rounded out the top five with a time of 19:11, good for 51
st place.
Rounding out the top seven for CSUSM were
Ciera Stauffer and
Meghan Hamlin, who finished 58
th and 72
nd individually. The Cougars improved upon last year's fourth place finish with their third place result Saturday, and will look to be on the right track to begin their pursuit of their fourth straight A.I.I. Conference Championship and NAIA National Championship.
CSUSM will compete next at the UC Riverside Invitational Saturday, September 15.
