RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Vanguard women's cross country continued to shine on Saturday morning and put their name above a couple of NCAA Division I programs at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational race. The Lions placed ninth as a team, beating Grand Canyon, University of San Diego, CSUN, and USC, along with topping The Master's again. The VU total time of 1:48:40 reset the school record for a 6K race, which was penciled in at 1:51:10 previously. In addition,
Lauren Pahl topped the team for the second-straight race and lowered the school record from her race at the Pomona-Pitzer event (21:37.9) to a 21:09, as the freshman finished 24th amid a slew of DI finishers. UCSD took the team title and the top individual finisher.
What Happened? Ella Murray and
Kate Baranski finished 37th and 38th, respectively, with Murray owning a 21:26.2 and Baranski finishing two seconds later at 21:28.4.
Madyson Nakamura placed 92nd with a time of 22:13.3, and
Kaitlyn Smith was not far behind in 104th with a time of 22:21.9.
Zoe Tavares was next in 118th at 22:33.7, with
Giselle Rubio right behind at 22:36.5.
Hailey Quiroz and
Isabella Sword placed back-to-back in 156th and 157th, with times of 23:02.7 and 23:03.
Sydney Sydney was a further six seconds up the road in 167th (23:09.6) and
Haley Butenschoen placed 185th at the line (23:26.4). In 202nd was
Emily Noyes, as she crossed in 23:52.8.
Adrianna Huffstuttler was 218th (24:19.5) and
Macey Thomas finished one second later (24:20.8) in 220th.
Brady Wylie and
Chase Sullivan finished together in 226th and 227th, respectively, with Wylie at 24:31.9 and Sullivan at 24:32.6.
Kaitlyn Barragan clocked a 24:52.7 in 233rd, and
ZoeTheodora Taylor rounded out the lineup in 251st in 27:17.5.
The field did not have any other Pacific West Conference schools, and 16 of the VU runners set new personal bests.
What was Said? "Our ladies ran fantastic races today, both physically and tactically," relayed Head Coach
Bryan Wilkins. "They were patient the first mile, then moved up significantly throughout the rest of the race. They ran with determination and heart and dug down deep. I'm super proud of them and thankful for the amazing support they share with another every single day."
Said Baranski, "This season has honestly exceeded all expectations! This race was a perfect tune-up before conference with a majority of the team PR-ing, and we know what were are capable of. But, the job's not finished yet. God has been so good to us and we are keeping Him at the center of our team, which has made us closer than ever."
What's Next? The Lions are off to Hawaii for the PacWest Championships next Saturday on Oahu. You can read more about the event
here.
