CORONA, Calif. -- Vanguard women's cross country placed fifth in its opening competition of the season at the Cal State Fullerton Mark Covert Classic at the Green River Golf Course. CSUF won the team and individual titles, with Biola in second (49 team points). VU had 138 team points and a total team time of 1:48:57, with
Kaitlyn Smith pacing the VU pack with a 20th-place result.
What Happened? Smith clocked a 21:25.2 for a career-best time on a 6K course by almost a minute (22:21.9, UCR Highlander, 2025).
Madyson Nakamura followed her in 30th after crossing the stripe in a time of 21:43.6, beating her previous best at last year's UCR race by over 30 seconds.
Zoe Tavares and
Ella Murray finished as a pair, with Tavares (21:51.3) in 36th and Murray (21:52.1) in 37th, with Tavares also setting a new 6K best.
Giselle Rubio had a 22:04.4 in 45th to reset her best mark on a 6K course, the same with
Hailey Quiroz, who had a 22:24.8 in 55th.
Brady Wylie and
Emily Noyes also set new fastest times, with Wylie's 22:40.1 good for 61st and Noyes' 22:41.1 placing her in 62nd.
Haley Butenschoen was in 78th with a time stamp of 23:26.3, good for a personal record by 0.1. The debuting freshmen then came home, as
Asha Digiambattista landed in 81st with a 23:31.4 and
Madison McGarvey in 82nd with a 23:33.0.
Jordyn Wylie found a 24:02.9 to end in 91st, with
Chase Sullivan crossing the line in 98th with a 24:45.1.
Adrianna Huffstuttler was the 100th runner to hit the finish stripe in a time of 25:01.1, and
Kaitlyn Barragan was 105th in a time of 25:19.
What was said? "I'm very proud of our teams today," said Head Coach
Bryan Wilkins. "We ran in packs and worked together. We had great energy and effort today. It was a great first race and provides a good benchmark of where we're at."
What's Next? The two teams head to the UCR Invitational in Riverside on September 19.
