SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos cross country teams look to build on strong performances this Saturday, Sept. 19 in Santa Clarita, Calif. at The Master's College Mustang Challenge. The men's squad has won the contest each of the last two years, while the women will attempt to win the event for the second time in three years.

The Schedule
The Mustang Challenge
Saturday, Sept. 19
Santa Clarita's Central Park – Santa Clarita, Calif.
Race Information | 5K Course Map | 8K Course Map
 
Race Times
8:00am – Women's 5K
8:45am – Men's 8K
 
Courses
Both courses are approximately 85% dirt paths, 15% grass, 60% rolling terrain, 40% flat. The women's 5k course has one sizable hill portion and the men's 8k has two sizable hill portions. The courses capture the rich tradition of California cross country at its finest at the collegiate level.
 
The Competition - USTFCCCA Rankings Listed
Cal State San Marcos (NCAA Division II: Women; Men)
Biola (NAIA: Women #6; Men #25)
Cal Baptist "B" (NCAA Division II: Women; Men)
Cal Lutheran (NCAA Division III: Women; Men)
Cal Tech (NCAA Division III: Women; Men)
Cal State Bakersfield (NCAA Division I: Women)
Cal State Fullerton (NCAA Division I: Women; Men)
Channel Islands Endurance Club (Club: Women; Men)
Dominica University of California (NCAA Division II: Women; Men)
Embry-Riddle (Ariz.) (NAIA: Women; Men)
Glendale (Ariz.) Community College (NJCAA Division I: Women)
Grand Canyon University (NCAA Division I: Women; Men)
Hope International (NAIA: Women; Men)
Loyola Marymount University (NCAA Division I: Women; Men)
The Master's College (NAIA: Women #9; Men #14)
Occidental College (NCAA Division III: Women; Men)
Pomona-Pitzer (NCAA Division III (Women; Men #14)
Providence Christian College (NAIA: Women; Men)
Tesseract Running Club (Club: Women)
UC Irvine (NCAA Division I: Women; Men)
UCLA (NCAA Division I: Women; Men #13)
University of Antelope Valley (NAIA: Women; Men)
University of Redlands (NCAA Division III: Women; Men)
Westmont (Calif.) (NAIA: Women #11; Men #33)
 
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Directions
From Cal State San Marcos, take 78 west and merge onto 5 north. Exit at Valencia Blvd (exit 169) and turn right. Turn left onto Bouquet Canyon Road. Central Park will be located on the right.
 
2014 Mustang Challenge Recap
CSUSM finished six points behind NCAA Division I Sacramento State to claim second place at the Mustang Challenge. Kate Bouvatte (18:12.1) placed second overall, with Raelyn Werley (8th; 18:35.8) and Natalie Rodriguez (16th; 18:37.2) also finishing in the top twenty. For a full recap of the women's competition, click here.
 
Enrique Ramirez (26:04.6) finished fourth overall and the Cougars won the Mustang Challenge for the second straight year, defeating NCAA Division I Cal State Fullerton by 12 points. The top five CSUSM runners, including Zach Laurenzana (26:16.5), were separated by only 35 seconds. For a full recap of the men's competition, click here.
 
Last Time Out
CSUSM competed for the first time as NCAA Division II teams at the UCR Cross Country Invite on Saturday, Sept. 12. The women's team finished third in the 5,000-meter Collegiate Open, just one point behind new California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rival Cal Poly Pomona. Bailey Smith (18:21.5) paced the Cougars with a 12th place finish. Twelve Cougars finished with sub-18:50 times and Rachel Brady, Arianna Garcia-Swantek, Salena Gallardo, Anahi Soriano and Shelby Eberwein all finished in the top twenty.
 
The men's team placed seventh in the 8,000-meter Collegiate Invitational with 238 points. Trent Warren (24:48.9) was the top performer for the Cougars, finishing 22nd in a field of 153 runners. Caesar Castillo, Enrique Ramirez, Steven Terris and Justin Washington collected points for CSUSM. Michael Waltrip ran in the 8,000-meter Collegiate Open, finishing 11th with a time of 26:05.9. For a full recap of the 2015 UCR Cross Country Invite, click here.
 
Steve Scott – The Man, the Myth, the Miler
Considered one of the greatest mile runners in American history, CSUSM head coach Steve Scott is a three-time Olympian and was a six-time All-American in track and cross country at UC Irvine. A member the United States Track & Field Hall of Fame, Scott ran 134 sub-4 minute miles in his illustrious career. Scott started the Cougar cross country and track & field programs in the 1999-2000 season. He has coached over 140 All-Americans and been named NAIA Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year three times. He has also been selected Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) Cross Country Coach of the Year 10 times.
 
New Territory
After nine seasons of competition in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the Cougars enter their first season of NCAA Division II competition in 2015. CSUSM is currently in the second year of a three-year transition to full NCAA Division II membership. As a part of the transition, the Cougars will be ineligible for postseason play in 2015 and 2016.
 
New Conference
Cal State San Marcos is a part of the 13-team California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA), made up of 12 CSU institutions and UC San Diego. The CCAA is one of the premier NCAA Division II leagues in the nation. Its teams have won more national championships (153) than any other conference.
 
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