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Gianna Gonzales
Greg Siller

Women's Cross Country

CSUSM Sends Small Squad to UCR Highlander Invite

SAN MARCOS, Calif. –  Three Cougars will be representing the Cal State San Marcos women's cross country team on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the Highlander Invitational, hosted by UC Riverside. 

PREVIOUS RACE

  • The Cougars had a strong showing at the Lewis Conference Crossover, finishing 10th out of 25 teams in a field that featured seven nationally-ranked teams.
  • Renee Laurenzana set the pace for the Cougars, placing 23rd out of 258 runners with a time of 22:50.6.
  • No. 1 Grand Valley State won the team title after accumulating 36 points with host Lewis snagging runner-up honors with 106 points. 
RACE 5 | HIGHLANDER INVITATIONAL
DateSaturday, Oct. 16 2021
Race Start TimesMen's 8K - 8 a.m. 
Women's 6K - 8:45 a.m. 
LocationRiverside, Calif.
Course MapUCR Agricultural Operations Course
Live ScoringLive Results
COVID-19 PolicyPlease see UCR's COVID-19 policy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINAL TUNEUP BEFORE CCAAs

  • The 2021 UCR Highlander Invite will feature 33 teams from all different levels,  NCAA Division I to Junior College. 
  • CSUSM is the only CCAA school competing in the race.
  • The Cougars will be running against former CCAA opponent UC San Diego, who is a now member of NCAA Division I's Big West Conference
  • This will be CSUSM's second appearance in the UCR Highlander Invitational.
  • In 2019, CSUSM only sent five student-athletes to the UCR Highlander Invite with Alicia Villarreal being the first Cougar to cross the finish line in a time of 23:22.44 . 

 

COUGAR OUTLOOK

  • The Cougars return 13 runners from the 2019 season.
  • Six runners will be donning Cougar Blue this season with Maria Texis being the lone true freshman.
  • CSUSM placed sixth at the 2019 CCAA Championships and eighth at the NCAA West Regional.
  • The Cougars were picked fifth in the CCAA Women's Cross Country Preseason Coaches Poll.
  • In Week 5 of the 2021 NCAA Division II Men’s Cross Country National Rankings, as released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA), CSUSM dropped out of the top 30, but is the top team receiving votes with 14. 
  • In the West Region rankings, the Cougars dropped down one spot to No. 5 with Simon Fraser (GNAC) remaining in the top spot, followed by Chico State (CCAA) and Stanislaus State (CCAA). 

 

 

 

Gianna Gonzales

THE OLSEN FILE

  • Head coach Torrey Olson begins his fourth season at the helm of the men's and women's track & field programs after taking over in the summer of 2018.
  • In his first two seasons at the helm of the men's and women's cross country programs, the men's team claimed second in back-to-back appearances of the CCAA Championships while the women earned third and sixth.
  • Olson came to CSUSM after spending three seasons as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at the Academy of Art University where his teams earned 50-plus All-American honors.
  • Olson served as the head cross country coach the previous three years at Academy of Art.
  • In addition to the Academy of Art, Olson has also worked with the University of San Francisco and Pomona-Pitzer College.
  • A graduate of Pomona College in 2009, Olson also holds an MFA from St. Mary's College (2012).