CARMEL, Calif. - The women of CSUSB competed at the CCAA Championships in Monterey Bay on November 5^th. The race featured eleven teams, four that are ranked top 10 in the west region and three that are listed on the Division II national rankings. That didn't stop the Yotes from achieving something that hasn't been done since 2018.

On the crisp and sunny morning, the Yotes competed against the conference's and region's best to achieve the highest team finish since 2018 with their 5^th scoring runner crossing the line to place the team 7^th overall, an improvement of two team places from the previous two championships and an improvement of over 30 team points.

Alexis Wallace did what she has done all season and led the Yotes to their top scoring spot, crossing the line in a time of 22:26.2. Her 14^th place finish earned her All-CCAA Honors, the team's first since 2018 (Kaylie Balvaneda, 13th). The top 15 spots achieve All-CCAA Honors. Alexis is CSUSB's 6^th fastest runner over a 6,000-meters course in the program's history. She earned the program's 10^th All-CCAA Honor and is the 8^th individual to become an All-CCAA Cross Country Honoree.
 

"It feels pretty good (to achieve All-CCAA honors). Going into the race I was very nervous, I didn't know if a top 15 finish was going to happen, I didn't know mid race either, but I got 14^th. I cut it close" – Alexis Wallace

Joanna Lopez and Nicole Renteria kept the pack rolling in with times of 23:28.2 and 23:40.2 respectively, coming in at 34^th and 36^th scoring positions.
 

"My goal was for my team to compete well, keep Joanna in my sights and run to the best of my abilities. I'm very proud of how we ran as a team. We had a game plan and tactics, we did it well." – Nicole Renteria

Kai Marroquin and Miranda Avila rounded out the scoring for the Yotes with times of 24:24.7 and 24:36.7 respectively, coming in at 49^th and 53^rd scoring positions. The five scorers totaled 187 points. This bettered their previous season's total by 35 team points. Their 7^th place team finish is their best since 2018 when they achieved a 4^th place team finish in the conference.

Helena Valdez in a time of 25:05.2, Maria Rojas in a time of 25:43.9 and Arlene Castro in a time of 26:17.2 rounded out the top 8 for the Yotes on the day. All 8 runners ran faster times than their 2021 counterparts.
 

"The team ran a phenomenal race; everyone did their part to achieve our season goals and I couldn't be more proud of the hard work these women put in the past twelve weeks. Now it's time to get ready for Montana by keeping warm thoughts and cool running. – Coach McDonald

               
 

CSUSB Women's 6k Individual Results
1.	Alexis Wallace	SR	22:26.2
2.	Joanna Lopez	SO	23:28.2
3.	Nicole Renteria	SO	23:40.2
4.	Kai Marroquin	FR	24:24.7
5.	Miranda Avila	JR	24:36.7
6.	Helena Valdez	JR	25:05.2
7.	Maria Rojas	JR	25:43.9
8.	Arlene Castro	JR	26:17.2

    

Up Next
The CSUSB Women compete next at the NCAA West Regional Championships in Billings Montana on November 19^th.