Fresno, Calif. – The Mt. SAC Men's Cross Country Team delivered a powerhouse performance at the 3C2A State Championship, finishing as the state runner-up for the second consecutive year and reaffirming the strength, depth, and enduring legacy of the program.
Cuyamaca claimed the title with 90 points, but the Mounties were right behind them with a razor-close 98. Riverside City—winners of the SoCal Regional two weeks prior—took third with 154. This year's field was stacked, featuring 194 athletes from 41 colleges battling through the 4-mile race.
Mt. SAC posted a team time of 1:43:39, averaging 20:44 per runner with a close 35-second scoring spread—a testament to the team's pack running.
Leading the charge was Diego Varela, who placed seventh overall in 20:23.9, scoring 7 points for the Mounties. Jonah Botello and Destino Gonzalez-Soto came through in dynamic fashion, finishing back-to-back in 16th and 17th with times of 20:38.4 and 20:40.4. Soto delivered one of the gutsiest performances of the day—moving from 67th at the first split all the way up to 17th by the final mile.
Conner Sybrandy added 29 points with a strong 30th-place finish in 20:57.0, surging up 11 spots in the last split. Derek Campos wrapped up the scoring five in 32nd place with a time of 20:58.8, contributing 31 points to the team total.
The Mounties showed tremendous grit throughout the race. After opening in 8th place at the mile mark, they climbed to 5th by mile two, and charged into second place at 2.8 miles, holding that podium position through the finish. Their late-race determination sealed a narrow and hard-earned runner-up finish.
Cuesta's Weston Greenelsh claimed the individual state title in 19:51.0. Champion Cuyamaca's success was bolstered by an impressive trio of runners inside the top 11.
That wraps the 2025 Mt. SAC Men's Cross Country season. Congratulations to the entire team for their hard work and commitment all year long. We can't wait to see them back in action next season!
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