Both the men's and women's cross country teams are once again getting into form as the championship stage approaches. The Olympians will host the Manny Bautista College Open Invite at NTC Park on Friday, October 10th, followed by the conference championships at Harry Griffen Park, hosted by Cuyamaca College on Friday, October 24th.

This weekend, the teams traveled to Salinas, California to compete in the Pink in the Park Invite at Toro Park.

"This was a great opportunity for our team to compete against top Northern California programs, including some of the best runners in the state," said head coach Sean Ricketts.

The women's team edged Hartnell College, 53–59, led by  Jazzlyn Islas (2nd, 18:25 – No. 9 all-time on the Toro Park course) and Natalie Allen (3rd, 18:39 – No. 13 all-time). Strong finishes by Kayden Coker (17th, 20:16) and Galia Salazar (21st, 20:33) captured the title for Mesa College. 

Despite missing key runners, the men's team stepped up and placed third, just behind Hartnell and Clovis, two of the top-ranked programs in the state. Lucci Roberts led the way with a runner-up finish in 20:21 (No. 4 all-time on the course), followed by Garrett Cloyd (6th, 21:02), Rowan Hannaman (12th, 21:25), and Jose Ramirez (17th, 21:31).

Both squads are ready to make a statement as the end of the season approaches. However, Coach Ricketts reminds his athletes the importance of staying focused on the upcoming meets, not to get ahead of the schedule but to stay focused one race at a time.  

Next up: the Manny Bautista Invitational, followed by the conference championships on Friday, October 24, at Harry Griffen Park.