The Cross country team competed at the CCAA championships this past weekend in San Marcos. This was the first cross country championship for the conference since 2019. On the cool and rainy day the course was blisteringly hot and ready to run.
"It was a fast course and it felt fast. The rain also added a dramatic effect to the meet" said
Abigail Toarmina.
Stanislaus State came through with the upset over Chico State, who had won 16 of the previous 18 championships on the women's side, which showcased the strength of the field of teams who ran at the championships. With four teams ranked in the top 10 regionally and two ranked nationally, the CCAA championship is one of the strongest conferences in the country.
"We're in one of the most competitive distance conferences in the nation (Top four teams ranked regionally with Stanislaus State at the top) and being able to run on the same course as them it prepares us to do our best at the west region championships" said coach Reimer-Podgaysky.
All nine women who ran for CSUSB finished the race with either season or personal bests at this distance. A credit to all the preparation both on and off the course.
"The team prepared for this day, coach Mac spent a lot of time preparing our women for this moment. The training plan, the resources available to us, the mental preparation, the extra time all paid off and it showed in our results" coach Reimer-Podgaysky added.
Miranda Avila led the way as she had all year with her personal best time of 22:13.7.
Nicole Renteria,
Sujey Esteva, and
Joanna Lopez were in the pack close behind, all crossing the line within 20 seconds of each other.
"The team did really well, you can see it in our times. We were very confident, and everyone ran their best race and ran their hardest" said
Sujey Esteva.
Genesis Obispo crossed the line in a time of 24:00.3 for the fifth scoring position on the team.
Savannah Milner,
Abigail Toarmina, and
Justine Ziranda finished as a pack all crossing the line one after another.
Caty Gaynor finished with a strong last mile to secure a PR in the 6k distance with a time of 25:45.2.
"This was definitely my best race mostly because my attitude was where I wanted it to be. I am proud of myself and my preparation," said
Caty Gaynor.
Coach McDonald believes the team was ready to run and did so at the right time.
"The team did amazing, the team ran well, and they had their goals. They achieved their individual goals for the season with everyone coming through on season bests and five with all-time bests" said coach McDonald. "We worked hard for it and we got it. It was a fight to the finish, and the plan unfolded beautifully."
With their performance at the CCAA championships the team managed to qualify for the NCAA regional championship meet held at Western Oregon University on November 6
th.
"I can't wait to compete at Oregon. Another day with the girls at work. It's going to be a lot of competition," said
Genesis Obispo.
"I am so excited for Oregon. When we found out we are going it was just shocking all around. Grateful for the experience and grateful for my teammates and coaches" added Gaynor.
"I'm excited for Oregon. I wanted to go really bad, to travel to regionals is just a different feeling," said
Joanna Lopez.
CSUSB Women's 6k Individual Results
1.
Miranda Avila SO Cal St. San Bernardino 22:13.7
2.
Nicole Renteria FR Cal St. San Bernardino 22:52.2
3.
Sujey Esteva JR Cal St. San Bernardino 23:04.2
4.
Joanna Lopez FR Cal St. San Bernardino 23:12.9
5.
Genesis Obispo SO Cal St. San Bernardino 24:00.3
6.
Savannah Milner SO Cal St. San Bernardino 25:07.1
7.
Abigail Toarmina SO Cal St. San Bernardino 25:07.8
8.
Justine Ziranda JR Cal St. San Bernardino 25:12.6
9.
Caty Gaynor FR Cal St. San Bernardino 25:45.2
The CSUSB Women compete up in Oregon at Western Oregon University Nov 6
th at the NCAA West Regional Championships. Go Yotes!
