The UC Riverside men’s and women’s cross country teams competed in the Big West Championship meet at San Luis Obispo Saturday morning, placing seventh and sixth out of eight and nine teams, respectively.
On the men’s side, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s 32 total points allowed them to earn a first-place finish on their home field. Mustangs Chris Frias and Mitchell Moriarty were the first two runners to cross the finish line with times of 25:19.5 and 25:22.8.
With 177 points, the men’s cross country team earned a seventh-place finish. Michael Gauger led UCR’s runners, finishing in 19th place with a time of 26:34.8. Trailing Gauger was Miguel Vasquez and Benjamin Heck, earning 41st and 42nd place finishes with times of 27:42.1 and 27:43.2.
Other Highlanders competing in the event were Cesar Solis (45th), Aaron Nguyen (53rd) and Alex Castellon (57th).
For the women’s side, Cal Poly also occupied the top spot with 37 points, led by Laura Hollander, who finished the run in first place with a time of 20:43.9.
With 158 points, UCR earned a sixth-place finish. Leading the Highlanders was senior runner Jzsanette Lindstrom, who finished in 18th place with her time of 23:01.6. Brooke McCandless followed in 26th place with a time of 23:38.8.
Other Highlanders competing in the event were Raquel Hefflin (33rd), Brianna Simmons (41st), MaryAnn Holliday (54th), Alisha Brown (59th) and Valerie Mares (63rd).
The Highlanders will now turn their attention toward the NCAA West Regional Championships, set to take place in Sacramento on Nov. 15.
