Sept. 13, 2014
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The San Diego State cross country team continued its strong start to the 2014 campaign Saturday at the UC Riverside Invitational in Riverside, Calif. Battling a heat advisory with temperatures in the low 90's, the Aztecs finished fourth out of 23 teams in the 6,000-meter invitational race and third out of 20 squads in the 5K open race.
In the invitational 6K, Elaine Ribeiro led SDSU for the second straight race, taking 17th out of 172 runners in a personal-best time of 21 minutes, 42.6 seconds. Ribeiro was one of five San Diego State runners (out of seven) who PR'd in the 6K race. The time was the seventh-fastest in school history.
Lily Seynaeve was just seconds behind Ribeiro in 18th with a 6K debut time of 21:44.9 (No. 8 all-time at SDSU), while Grace Hanshaw also made her 6K debut, taking 24th in 21:51.0 (No. 10 all-time at SDSU).
Rachel Roesgen was the next Aztec to cross the finish line, taking 37th in 22:07.9, just 2.9 seconds off her PR (22:05.0), while Cassidy Towner ran her first 6K in 22:10.4 for a 39th-place showing.
Chelsea Kruthers (77th, 22:41.2) and Jessica McCall (77th, PR of 22:44.5) also competed in the 6K.
SDSU totaled 135 points, just six behind third-place finisher and meet host UCR's 129. Utah Valley won the meet with 95 points, while UC Santa Barbara was the runner-up with 113. UC San Diego rounded out the top five with 145.
In the open 5K, Dynasty Gammage finished 14th out of 247 competitors to help San Diego State to a third-place finish. Gammage completed the course in 18:45.5.
Dominique Regalado and Cali King, meanwhile, each set collegiate PR's en route to taking 23rd and 31st, respectively. Regalado ran a 19:05.5, while King clocked a 19:12.7.
Hannah Sawatzki (33rd, 19:13.6) and Melissa Wendorf (54th, 19:33.1) also finished among the top 55 in the 5K race for the Aztecs.
Competing with just five runners in the 5K after the other seven entered in the 6K in the first race, SDSU still finished third out of 20 teams with 104 points. The only two teams to beat San Diego State (Cal State San Marcos - 27 and Cal Poly Pomona - 52) had all of their runners compete in the 5K. San Diego (165) and Redlands (188) rounded out the top five of the 5K open race.
SDSU plays host to the 70th annual Aztec Invitational on Saturday, beginning at 8 a.m. PT. This year's race will be contested at Tecolote Shores on Mission Bay.
2014 UC Riverside Invitational
Riverside, Calif. (UCR Agricultural Operations Course)
6,000-Meter Women's Invitational Team Results (out of 23 teams)
1. Utah Valley - 95
2. UC Santa Barbara - 113
3. UC Riverside - 129
4. San Diego State - 135
5. UC San Diego - 145
6,000-Meter Women's Invitational Individual Results (Top 5 of 172 runners + SDSU)
1. Daniella Moreno (UC Santa Barbara) - 20:25.5
2. Raquel Hefflin (UC Riverside) - 20:33.4
3. Maxine Goyette (UC Santa Barbara) - 21:00.5
4. Elizabeth Nelson (Cal State Northridge) - 21:03.3
5. Bridget Blum (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps) - 21:11.8
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17. Elaine Ribeiro (San Diego State) - 21:42.6
18. Lily Seynaeve (San Diego State) - 21:44.9
24. Grace Hanshaw (San Diego State) - 21:51.0
37. Rachel Roesgen (San Diego State) - 22:07.9
39. Cassidy Towner (San Diego State) - 22:10.4
73. Chelsea Kruthers (San Diego State) - 22:41.2
77. Jessica McCall (San Diego State) - 22:44.5
5,000-Meter Women's Open Team Results (out of 20 teams)
1. Cal State San Marcos - 27
2. Cal Poly Pomona - 52
3. San Diego State - 104
4. San Diego - 165
5. Redlands - 188
5,000-Meter Women's Open Individual Results (Top 5 of 247 runners + SDSU)
1. Bethany Blomquist (Unattached) - 17:46.5
2. Kate Bouvatte (Cal State San Marcos) - 17:55.8
3. Whitney Patton (Unattached) - 18:01.0
4. Raelyn Werley (Cal State San Marcos) - 18:06.2
5. Lizette Huerta (Cal Poly Pomona) - 18:11.3
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14. Dynasty Gammage (San Diego State) - 18:45.5
23. Dominique Regalado (San Diego State) - 19:05.5
31. Cali King (San Diego State) - 19:12.7
33. Hannah Sawatzki (San Diego State) - 19:13.6
54. Melissa Wendorf (San Diego State) - 19:33.1