Saturday, October 13
Riverside, Calif.
8:00 a.m.
California State University at Northridge
at
Highlander Invitational
Photo by: Jeff Golden
CSUN Finishes Strong in Final Big West Tune-Up
10/13/2018 12:06:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country
RIVERSIDE, Calif -The CSUN men's cross country team, paced by Michael Merchan, finished 10th in the 8k race while the women were paced by Heidi Eligio (first time in her career) and placed 11th in the 5k race Saturday at the Highlander Invitational hosted by UC Riverside.
Merchan led the Matadors again with another all-out performance. The senior from Puerto Rico finished third overall in the race with a time of 24:33.3 (a 4:56.4 mile pace). His finish was the first time he has finished in the top-five of a race all season, let alone top three. It was the first time Merchan has placed in the top-five since The Masters Invitational on Sept. 30 2017.
The coaching staff was impressed with the way Merchan ran today. "Michael has continued to work extremely hard on and off the course and it's no surprise to me that he continues to improve meet after meet," said head coach Lawrence Johnson. "We have set some very challenging goals for ourselves as a team and Mike is an integral part of those plans."
Also for the Matador men, notable performances include Kristian Oatman who finished 60th (25:51.9), Julian Silva placed 64th (25:54.9), David Hidalgo finished 75th (26:03.6) and Mario Ramirez who finished 84th (26:13.8).
Other Matador men racers to round out the top 100 featured Robby Foster (96th, 26:20.3) and Oscar Ochoa (100th, 26:21.9).
On the women's side, CSUN was paced by a first-time number-one runner in Heidi Eligio. The sophomore from Burbank placed 52nd overall with a time of 18:23.1 on her way to leading the Matadors to an 11th overall finish.
The CSUN coaching staff emphasizes that the number one runner on the women's side is up for grabs every week.
"Heidi is very competitive and she took a more aggressive approach to racing this week." Johnson said. "We emphasize that we don't have a set number one runner. My expectation is for everybody to grab that spot week in and week out."
Other notable racers for the women's team include Katie Alvarenga (72nd, 18:46.9), Elizabeth Silengo (73rd, 18:47.4), Joy Bosede (84th, 18:59.1) Marina Kaye (106th, 19:21.9) and Alyssa Segovia (122nd, 19:36.8).
Overall, the coaches were happy with the way CSUN ran today.
"I was pleased with our team efforts on the course today." Johnson said. "I think everyone worked really hard and together. We need to get more consistent with having more of our athletes in the top 60. That is going to really help us from a team perspective."
This was the last race before the Big West Championships, and the student-athletes are more than ready for the postseason.
"The athletes all know this was our last competitive opportunity before we embark on our championship season." Johnson said. "We have all the data we need to make the necessary improvements at this point. Now we focus in and plan accordingly.
The Big West Championships will be held on October 27th in Brea, Calif. The races will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m.
Merchan led the Matadors again with another all-out performance. The senior from Puerto Rico finished third overall in the race with a time of 24:33.3 (a 4:56.4 mile pace). His finish was the first time he has finished in the top-five of a race all season, let alone top three. It was the first time Merchan has placed in the top-five since The Masters Invitational on Sept. 30 2017.
The coaching staff was impressed with the way Merchan ran today. "Michael has continued to work extremely hard on and off the course and it's no surprise to me that he continues to improve meet after meet," said head coach Lawrence Johnson. "We have set some very challenging goals for ourselves as a team and Mike is an integral part of those plans."
Also for the Matador men, notable performances include Kristian Oatman who finished 60th (25:51.9), Julian Silva placed 64th (25:54.9), David Hidalgo finished 75th (26:03.6) and Mario Ramirez who finished 84th (26:13.8).
Other Matador men racers to round out the top 100 featured Robby Foster (96th, 26:20.3) and Oscar Ochoa (100th, 26:21.9).
On the women's side, CSUN was paced by a first-time number-one runner in Heidi Eligio. The sophomore from Burbank placed 52nd overall with a time of 18:23.1 on her way to leading the Matadors to an 11th overall finish.
The CSUN coaching staff emphasizes that the number one runner on the women's side is up for grabs every week.
"Heidi is very competitive and she took a more aggressive approach to racing this week." Johnson said. "We emphasize that we don't have a set number one runner. My expectation is for everybody to grab that spot week in and week out."
Other notable racers for the women's team include Katie Alvarenga (72nd, 18:46.9), Elizabeth Silengo (73rd, 18:47.4), Joy Bosede (84th, 18:59.1) Marina Kaye (106th, 19:21.9) and Alyssa Segovia (122nd, 19:36.8).
Overall, the coaches were happy with the way CSUN ran today.
"I was pleased with our team efforts on the course today." Johnson said. "I think everyone worked really hard and together. We need to get more consistent with having more of our athletes in the top 60. That is going to really help us from a team perspective."
This was the last race before the Big West Championships, and the student-athletes are more than ready for the postseason.
"The athletes all know this was our last competitive opportunity before we embark on our championship season." Johnson said. "We have all the data we need to make the necessary improvements at this point. Now we focus in and plan accordingly.
The Big West Championships will be held on October 27th in Brea, Calif. The races will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m.
~GoMatadors.com~
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
2024-25 CSUN Athletics End-of-Year Recap
Thursday, June 05
CalHOPE Award Nathan Merren
Thursday, March 02
MVB vs. Stanford Highlights
Monday, February 20
CSUN-UCSD Highlights
Monday, February 20