CSUN Men Post Fast 10k Times; Women Compete at NCAA Regionals

Friday, November 11

Univ. Place, Wash.

10:00 a.m.

California State University at Northridge

NCAA West Regional

Photo by: Heidi Eligio

CSUN Men Post Fast 10k Times; Women Compete at NCAA Regionals

11/11/2022 12:18:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WASH.-The CSUN men's and women's cross country teams competed in the NCAA Division I West Regional on Friday at the Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash.

THE MEN'S RACE

Freshman Camilo Torres broke the CSUN 10k Division I school record as he ran 30:57.7. The previous record was 31:19.5 that was recorded by Angel Alcantar during the 2014 NCAA West Regional. He was awarded 118th place points, finishing 121st overall.
James Moore recorded the second fastest 10k time by a Matador at the Division I level. The redshirt junior ran 31:05.6 which lowered his personal best in the 10k by over two minutes. He earned 125th place points (128th overall).
Cesar Cuevas charted the fourth fastest 10k time by a Matador at the Division I level. The freshman went 31:37.5 to gain 159th place points (162nd overall).
Daniel Rodriguez posted the fifth fastest 10k time by a Matador at the Division I level. A sophomore, Rodriguez ran 31:40.3 to gain 162nd place points (165th overall), lowered his personal best in the 10k by over a minute.
Kai Smith ran a time of 33:08.6 to record 203rd place points (207th overall).
Balmore Montes recorded a 33:40 performance to tally 207th place points (211th overall).

Brian Fay of Washington was the individual winner (28:17.2). CSUN finished 27th (767). Stanford (45) was the team winner. There were 217 runners and 33 teams entered.

THE WOMEN'S RACE

Elin Markarian was the top finishing CSUN entry. On the 6k course, she ran a 22:11.3 which earned her 191st-place points (197th overall). Her time is the 10th best by a Matador at the Division I level, and she lowered her 6k personal best by nearly 11 seconds.
Nicole Contreras scored in 195th place after going 22:21.8 (202nd overall).
Sonia Avila earned 202nd place points with a time of 22:39.6 (210th overall).
Mariah Changco was scored in 226th place by running 23:33.7 (234th overall).
Leann Hamilton posted 230th place points after recording a time of 23:46.9 (238th overall).
Rachael Simpson scored in 235th place, charting a 24:08.2 (244th overall).
Oregon State's Kaylee Mitchell was the individual winner (19:19.2). CSUN finished 34th (1044). Stanford (76) was the team winner. There were 249 runners and 38 teams entered.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH JUSTIN JOHNSON
"I am very proud of the season we put together this year. We stayed consistent in training. We were competitive in every race we ran this season and learned how to work as a team. The result of all our hard work showed on the course today. Our women continue to break personal records. The men's team led by freshman Camilo Torres ran one of the fastest 10k races in our program history. We have established a solid foundation with this group of men and women, and I am excited about the future of CSUN cross country."

ACCORDING TO ASSISTANT COACH DEVIN ELIZONDO
"I am very proud of the group that represented CSUN today. We ran with heart and grit. This region is stacked with talent. I am impressed with the poise we showed as a young developing team competing on this national caliber stage. This group (women and men) was patient and executed the race plan to cut down the pace over the back half of the race. Again, the top 3 women, Nicky, Sonia, and Elin, carried us, this time with Elin leading us to the finish line. The women's team performance is a stepping stone for the program as we conclude the '22 Fall campaign."

"Similarly, on the men's side the early pack of our top 4 men, Camilo, James, Cesar, and Daniel, allowed us to fight through the large field to make a run at the top 25. In a strong field, with favorable weather conditions, we had several men hit season 8k personal bests en route to the 10k finish line. This shows the strength of our training and ability to be at our best on championship days."

"We will celebrate and reflect on all the lessons from the season while we rest our bodies, hit the books, and prepare for winter training for the indoor and outdoor track & field seasons in the new year."

~#UniteTheValley~