Warrior men 10th, women 17th at regionals
LA JOLLA, Calif. – Despite having to run part of the race twice, the Cal State Stanislaus men’s cross country team lived up to its rankings at the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships on Saturday.
The men’s and women’s teams from Chico State dominated the competition Saturday, sweeping the races on the campus of UC San Diego. The Wildcats placed all five of their scorers in the Top 10 on the men’s side, while the women had four finishers in the Top 15.
The Wildcats’ Scott Bauhs broke the tape in the men’s 10k, finishing with a time of 32:15.8, which was nine seconds in front of Alaska Anchorage’s Marko Cheseto. St. Martin’s John Riak (32:35.1) finished third, while Angel Marguez (32:36.0) took fourth and UAA’s Jacob Parisien (32:54.2) placed fifth.
“Our guys ran well giving the situation they were dealt with today. They had to run the first three miles twice,” coach Diljeet Taylor said. “Dawson and Ivan ran well as our number two and three guys to keep the pack together.”
Cal State Stanislaus men was ranked 10th in the region heading into the event and led by Joey Nunes, the Warriors finished in 10th out of a field of 18 teams.
The men’s race had to be stopped nearly three mile in due to some confusion on the course. The UCSD course runs through some trails in the forest adjacent to the campus. The paths crossed many time and some runners made the run turn. The men had to re-start their race at 11 a.m. (originally scheduled for 8:45 a.m.) after the women’s run.
Nunes, an All-CCAA runner, was the top Warrior as he clocked 35:14.8 in the 10K run to finish 38th. Dawson Vorderbruegge (35:39.7, 44th) and Ivan Borjoquez (35:50.6, 49th) followed Nunes. Eric Gutierrez and Shane Brookshire were the other two runners to score for the Warriors.
Chico State garnered 28 points to easily earn the team crown, while second place Alaska Anchorage tallied 67. Western Washington’s 103 was good enough for third.
In the women’s 6K race, Seattle Pacific’s Jessica Pixler (20:57.1) was the top individual finisher, easily defeating the second place runner, Chico State’s Tori Tyler (21:33.9). Sarah Porter (21:38.1) of Western Washington finished third, while Alaska Anchorage’s Laura Carr (21:40.3) took fourth, and UC San Diego’s Bre Schofield (21:44.2.) placed fifth.
For the Warriors, Rubye Foldager led the team with a time of 24:46.8 for 65th place. She was followed by Clarissa Rivera (25:03.4, 73rd) and April Montgomery (25:31.9, 94th). Lindsay Viltrakis and Catherine Jaureguy rounded out the Warrior scoring. As a team, the women finished 17th in a field of 24.
Chico finished with 60 points to best second place Seattle Pacific, which tallied 92. Alaska Anchorage scored 104 points to finish third, 10 points in front of fourth place Cal State L.A. Western Washington finished fifth with 141 points to beat out UCSD (203) for the final bid the NCAA Championships.
The teams from Chico State will advance to the NCAA D-II National Championships November 22 in Slippery Rock, Pa.
Joining the Wildcats at the national meet will be the University of Alaska Anchorage and Western Washington, as the West Region will send three men’s squads to compete for the national title. In addition to Chico, Seattle Pacific, Alaska Anchorage, Cal State L.A., and Western Washington will be the five teams representing the region on the women’s side.