SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State cross country team will be competing at Cal State San Marcos Saturday morning when they run in the Cougar Challenge (6k) at CSUSM's Mangrum Track and Field Complex. The race will be streamed on the CCAA Network.
The Aztecs will have just four runners competing: Paige Comiso, Isabelle Davis, Alex Lomeli and Natalie Regalado. Comiso, Lomeli and Regalado ran in last week's USD Invitational while it will be the first race of the season for Davis.
SDSU will be competing against runners from Azusa Pacific, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State San Marcos, Chico State, Claremont Mudd Scripps, Occidental College, Point Loma, Pomona-Pitzer, Sonoma State and Stanislaus State. With the Aztecs only sending four runners, they will be ineligible for a team score.
The forecast calls for sunny skies with temperatures in the high 60's.
The mostly grass course runs throughout the Cal State San Marcos campus.
Coach Lusitana's Take on the Cougar Challenge
"Those participating this week, like the USD Invitational last Friday, will be our non-travel squad. This presents a good opportunity for these four ladies to test their competitive fitness level an opportunity to be elevated to the travel squad."
Aztec Storylines
• Three Aztecs ran in the USD Invitational (6k) last Friday. Alex Lomeli placed fourth (22:21.10) while Paige Comiso (25:21.10) and Natalie Regalado (26:16.90) each made their 2021 6k debut.
• Jessica Kain has been the top Aztec finisher in the last four races she's run in.
• Kain, Carlene Masar, Emily Burd, Lauren Harper, Amber Elias and Naomi Smitham all recorded career-best 6k times at the Stump Invitational two weeks ago.
• Carlene Masar has finished in the top two among Aztecs in every race she's run.
• Jessica Kain broke out during the 2021 outdoor track season. She became the first Aztec to qualify for the NCAA West Regionals in the 1,500m and her PR of 4:21.87 was the fastest time by an SDSU runner since 1982.
• SDSU made a tweak to their schedule, and they will now be competing at the University of Arizona's Dave Murray Invitational October 1.
• The Aztecs competed in just two races in the shortened 2020 season (that occurred in the winter of 2021), both of which took place at Craig Ranch Regional Park in Las Vegas.
Last Time Out
Alex Lomeli (Los Angeles/Notre Dame Academy HS) led a trio of San Diego State cross country runners competing at the USD Invite Friday on the shores of Mission Bay at Tecolote Shores North Park.
Lomeli complete the 6,000-meter course in 23 minutes, 21.10 seconds, to finish in fourth place out of 28 entrants. The junior was just under six seconds short of San Diego's Macey Holt (23:15.30) for third, while Holt's teammates Maddie Heller (22:54.30) and Emma Clark (23:13.20) finished first and second, respectively.
Senior Paige Comiso (San Jose, Calif./Presentation HS) made her 2021 debut in 17th with a time of 25:21.80, while classmate Natalie Regalado (Lake Forest, Calif./Trabuco Hills HS) came in 22nd in 26:16.90.
"The plan for the race was for these three to have the opportunity to gain some needed 6K race experience and we achieved that" volunteer assistant coach Robert Lusitana said. "Alex did an excellent job staying with the leaders for much of the race and was able to keep her focus over the final 2k.
"This was, not only Paige's first race this year but also her first 6k in nearly two years. She did a good job of closing on several in the race over the second half of the race. (This was) something to build upon for all three runners."
Aztec Running in CSUSM's Cougar Challenge Saturday
