LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Dominican University of California cross country teams wrapped up their regular season at the UC San Diego Triton Classic on Saturday.
The Dominican women finished 10th of 10 teams with an average time of while the men finished seventh of seven teams with an average time of 33:11.06. Host UC San Diego won the men's 8k with an average time of 26:39.02 and boasted top attached runner Tareq Alwafai, who crossed the finish line with a time of 26:18.3. The Tritons also won the women's 6k with an average team time of 23:01.62. Dixie State's Tyler Storie led the 101 women's runners with a time of 21:54.3.
The men battled humid and dry conditions on the hilly course, which saw overall times one to two minutes slower due to the challenging conditions. Freshmen
Anthony Sassano went down with a minor ankle injury, which saw him slip to 57th place with a time of 31:04.2. That saw senior Mike Temple lead the men in 48th place of 63 runners with a time of 29:26.6.
Leslie Williams III placed in 60th with a time of 32:37.7 and was followed by brother
LaTrielle Williams, who finished in 62nd with a time of 33:51.0.
Chris Suen, who was overcoming a cold, crossed the finish line at 38:55.8.
On the women's side,
Julianna Mendez continued to show her mental toughness in overcoming the challenging conditions with a 23rd-place finish. The Penguins' top runner posted a time of 23:54.0.
Sierra Najolia and
Franki Crites were able to stay close and work as a pack. Najolia finished in 74th at 27:28.0, Crites came in 76th at 27:40.4.
Nicole Long, who was also battling illness, crossed the finish line in 88th place with her time of 28:51.3.
Katie Gomez rounded out the squad in 91st place with a time of 29:13.7.
"This race was a great opportunity and learning experience in racing against West Region contenders. The race consisted of primarily PacWest and CCAA schools," said Head Coach
Teressa DiPerna. "I believe this course and weather will mimic what our teams will see at the conference championships."
The PacWest Cross Country Championships hosted by Fresno Pacific University will take place on Friday, Nov. 7 at Woodward Park in Fresno.
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