The Mt. SAC Women's Cross Country Team finished in second place at the 2024 Manny Bautista Cross Country Invite on Friday, October 11, in San Diego. The event, held at NTC Park, was hosted by the top-ranked San Diego Mesa College and featured a challenging 5k course.

The Mounties finished with a total time of 1:41:22, averaging 20:16 with a score of 101. San Diego Mesa took first place with a total time of 1:37:42 and a score of 40, while Central Arizona rounded out the top three with a total time of 1:41:43 and a score of 108.

Ava Cornell led the Mounties with a time of 19:55.5, earning an impressive 15th place finish. Tigist Bergman closely followed in 16th place with a time of 20:02.2, while Kaitlyn Reyes finished 21st overall with a time of 20:21.5. Yadira Arnold and Jasmine Brandyberry crossed the finish line back-to-back, clocking times of 20:31.3 and 20:31.5, respectively. Maya Estrada-Garcia came in 31st overall with a time of 20:47.9, and Alondra Morales-Espinoza closed out the scoring for the Mounties, finishing 38th with a time of 21:03.0.

"Our women had a strong showing at the Manny Bautista Invitational," Head Coach Giovanni Lanaro commented. "They came in second place behind a very strong San Diego Mesa team. The Mt. SAC ladies are getting stronger every time we race. The top five ladies finished within 35 seconds of each other, which demonstrates the strength of a team that runs together. All of the women ran extremely well and we are looking forward to running at home this Friday."

The Mounties will compete in the historic Mt. SAC Cross Country Invitational on Friday, October 18.

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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.