The UCSD cross country team split its ranks last weekend between the Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, Minn. and the Coyote Invitational in San Bernardino, Calif.
In Minnesota, both the men’s and women’s teams finished in fifth place, while back on the West Coast, the men placed first and the women placed fourth.
“We were really happy with the team’s performance,” UCSD head coach Nate Garcia said. “The [Roy Griak Invitational] was a big time meet, and the team handled [itself] really well, and I was very pleased to come back with the finishes that we got.”
In the Midwest, UCSD junior Tanner Collins finished 24th in a field of 458 runners. Collins — recording a time of 26:11 — led the pack for the Tritons pacing seniors Kellen Levy, Matt Lenehan and Mario Flores, all of whom finished within two seconds of each other.
On the women’s side, sophomore transfer Paige Hughes was UCSD’s top finisher with a time of 23:18, good for 20th place. Sophomore Marie Diaz finished in 32nd place, right in front of senior Ximena Cruz.
“Both of our leaders ran really well — Tanner Collins really put together a big time race, and Paige Hughes did a good handling the group,” Garcia said.
In San Bernardino, the UCSD underclassmen had ample opportunity to stretch their legs. Freshman Brendan Gee had an exceptional meet, finishing first overall with a time of 26:19. Sophomore Charles Morgan finished sixth overall for UCSD, junior Mike Kloha tracked right behind him to finish in eighth.
The Tritons’ next meet will be back at UCSD. October 12, UCSD hosts the Triton Classic.