Riverside, Calif. – The Mt. SAC Men's Cross Country team competed in the 8K Invitational at the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, September 27, facing off against a deep and competitive field of 224 runners. The Mounties placed 21st in the team standings with a score of 575 points. They recorded a total team time of 2:08:14, averaging 25:39 per runner at a 5:10 mile pace. Their top five runners finished within just 1 minute and 4 seconds of each other, demonstrating solid pack running.

Diego Varela led the Mounties with a time of 25:00, finishing 78th overall and scoring 63rd in team scoring. Derek Campos followed in 125th overall (107th scoring) with a time of 25:27.7, while Isaac Donis ran 25:47.9 to place 159th overall and score 130th. Logan Berkley came through in 168th overall (135th scoring) with a time of 25:53.9, and Jonah Botello rounded out the scoring five in 176th overall (140th scoring) at 26:03.6. Also finishing for the Mounties were Alex Figueroa, 177th overall (141st scoring) in 26:05.0, and Lucas Blevins, 180th overall (144th scoring) in 26:11.8.

Mt. SAC showed early promise, sitting in 12th place at the first team split with 327 points. As the race wore on, the team slipped to 19th and eventually held steady in 21st over the final stages of the race. Their scoring point total increased from 526 to 575 between the final two checkpoints, reflecting the intensity of the competition and the depth of the field.

Despite finishing outside the top 20, the team's close time spread and consistent pacing are positives moving forward. The Mounties will look to build off this experience as they continue their season in the coming weeks.

NEXT UP:

Next up, Mt. SAC will head south to compete in the Manny Bautista Invitational, hosted by San Diego Mesa College on Friday, October 10.

STAY CONNECTED:

Follow Mt. SAC Cross Country on twitter @MtSAC_XC or Instagram /mountiesxc/

Follow Mt. SAC Athletics on twitter @MtSAC_athletics Instagram /mtsac_athletics/ or Facebook @Mountie.Athletics

For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information