DAVIS, Calif. – The Aztec cross country team placed fifth in UC Davis' Stump Invitational Friday morning and saw three runners record times in the top-five all-time in program history.
Racing in ideal conditions, six Aztecs posted career best 6k times while Jessica Kain (20:56.1), Carlene Masar (21:00.9) and Emily Burd's (21:02.8) times ranked second, third and fourth all-time.
"The girls took some steps forward and overall had a good team race," Coach Robert Lusitana said after the race. "Some still need to adjust to the normal 6k distance. That said, we were just a few points out of third in a competitive field. They'll learn from this and stay focused and motivated to achieve season team goals."
Lauren Harper's career-best time of 21:32.8 gave her a 32nd place finish. Amber Elias rounded out the SDSU top five, also posting a career best time (21:36.2, 37th).
Freshman Nicole Meyer, who was running her first collegiate 6k, placed 43rd with a time of 21:45.5. Also running for the Aztecs was Taylor Lustyan (51st, 21:57.3) and
Naomi Smitham, who also posted a career-best time of 22:01.2 (53rd), over a minute better than her previous best.
Stump Invitational (Wildhorse Golf Club – Davis, Calif.)
Team Scores (Top Five) – Eight Schools Competed
1. UC Davis – 23
2. UC San Diego – 94
3. UC Santa Barbara – 113
4. San Diego State – 115 (Won Tiebreaker with Cal Poly)
5. Cal Poly – 115
Individual Scores (Top Five + SDSU Results) – Out of 93 runners
1. Ruby Smee (USF) – 19:47.5
2. Sierra Atkins (UC Davis) – 19:57.2
3. Brianna Weidler (UC Davis) – 20:13.1
4. Brooke Starn (UC Davis) – 20:14.2
5. Sierra Brill (Cal Poly) – 20:14.8
19. Jessica Kain (SDSU) – 20:56.1 (No. 2 all-time, Career Best)
21. Carlene Masar (SDSU) – 21:00.9 (No. 3 all-time, Career Best)
22. Emily Burd (SDSU) – 21:02.8 (No. 4 all-time, Career Best)
32. Lauren Harper (SDSU) – 21:32.8 (Career Best)
37. Amber Elias (SDSU) – 21:36.2 (Career Best)
43. Nicole Meyer (SDSU) – 21:45.5 (First Collegiate 6k)
51. Taylor Lustyan (SDSU) – 21:57.3
53. Naomi Smitham (SDSU) – 22:01.2 (Career Best)
Aztecs Place Fourth at Stump Invitational
