Sept. 12, 2015
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State junior Elaine Ribeiro posted a 12th-place individual finish on Saturday to lead the Aztec cross country team at the UC Riverside Invitational in Riverside, Calif. Ribeiro completed the 6,000-meter course at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course with a time of 21 minutes, 5.3 seconds, the second-fastest 6K time in school history.
"Elaine Ribeiro had a nice race," assistant cross country coach Karoly Varga stated. "She ran with the lead pack for the first two miles at a pretty fast pace. Arkansas is one of the best teams in the country and Elaine was able to let the pack carry her to a 6k personal best by 37 seconds."
As a team, SDSU placed fifth out of 15 teams with 149 points, trailing fourth-place host school UC Riverside (135 pts), while Arkansas (27 pts.), UC Davis (86 pts.) and UC Santa Barbara (128 pts.) encompassed the top three.
Following Ribeiro, sophomore Lily Seynaeve was the next Aztec runner to cross the finish line, clocking in at 21:30.8, which was good for 18th place.
"I felt that Lily Seynaeve had a very good run today," Varga stated. "She really impressed me with her toughness. I think she will keep improving as we get to the end of the season."
Ensuing Seynaeve was sophomore Cassidy Towner (22:10.9) and senior Rachel Roesgen (22:13:0) who placed 37th and 38th in the race that featured 110 runners.
The Red and Black was also represented by junior Cali King, who ended her first 6K race in 54th place at 22:32.5, while senior Lily Mayko finished in 70th with a time of 22:57.7.
Rounding out the Aztec contingent was senior Hannah Sawatzki, who took 89th after completing the course at 23:51.1, 11 seconds faster than last season's 6K time (24:02.4).
SDSU plays host to the 71st annual Aztec Invitational on Friday beginning at 8:30 a.m. PT. This year's race will be contested at Tecolote Shores on Mission Bay.
2015 UC Riverside Invitational
Riverside, Calif. (UCR Agricultural Operations Course)
6,000-Meter Women's Invitational Team Results (out of 15 teams)
1. Arkansas - 27
2. UC Davis - 86
3. UC Santa Barbara - 128
4. UC Riverside - 135
5. San Diego State - 149
6,000-Meter Women's Invitational Individual Results (Top 5 of 110 runners + SDSU)
1. Aminat Olowora (Southwestern) -- 20:28.8
2. Devin Clark (Arkansas) -- 20:39.0
3. Christine Hoffman (UC Davis) -- 20:40.1
4. Regan Ward (Arkansas) -- 20:40.3
5. Tracee van der Wyk (Big Bear TC) -- 20:41.6
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12. Elaine Ribeiro (SDSU) -- 21:05.3
18. Lily Seynaeve (SDSU) -- 21:30.8
37. Cassidy Towner (SDSU) -- 22:10.9
38. Rachel Roesgen (SDSU) -- 22:13.0
54. Cali King (SDSU) -- 22:32.5
70. Lily Mayko (SDSU) -- 22:57.7
89. Hannah Sawatzki (SDSU) -- 23:51.1