Long Beach State University
Cal State Fullerton Opener
49ers finish with strong performances at Fullerton Season Opener
9/4/2010 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Sept. 4, 2010
BREA, Calif. - The Long Beach State cross country teams opened the 2010 season with strong performances on a warm Saturday morning at the Fullerton Season Opener as the 49ers finished in second place in both races. More than 500 runners took part in the event at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea.
In the women's 6,000-meter race, the 49ers tallied 71 points, finishing 47 points behind team champion UCLA. LBSU was paced by junior Alisia Barajas as she crossed the finish line in seventh place with a time of 22:41.1. Fellow classmate Liz Ramos came in three seconds behind, finishing in eighth at 22:44.1. UCLA's Shannon Murakami won the event with a time of 21:24.5 as the Bruins had runners finish in the top four spots.
On the men's side, the 49ers completed the 8,000-meter race with 68 points, finishing 45 points behind team champion UCLA. The Beach was led by junior Matt Maldonado as he finished in 14th with a time of 26:15.8. Sophomore Bret Hasvold crossed the line in 15th, finishing seven seconds behind. Diego Mercado, running unattached, dominated the race by 30 seconds with a time of 25:11.5.
"We're excited how the season started off," 49er distance coach Patrick Cunniff said. "We thought both teams looked very solid and we could clearly see the results of our hard work over the summer. We started off very conservatively, but both teams moved up well. We got a lot of work accomplished today as we're excited to start the season off well."
The races were preceded by a moment of silence in memory of those lost in the van collision in August near Bishop between members of Cal Baptist and Cathedral High School cross country teams. Cal Baptist placed fourth in the men's race and 12th in the women's race in the Lancers' first competition since the accident.
The 49ers will next be in action as they travel down to San Diego on Saturday, Sept. 18 for the Aztec Invitational at Balboa Park. The women's 5K is scheduled for a 9 a.m. start, while the men's 8K will begin a half hour later.
Fullerton Season Opener
Carbon Canyon Regional Park - Brea, Calif.
Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010
Women's 6K - Team Results (top 5 of 24 teams)
1. UCLA (24 pts.)
2. Long Beach State (71)
3. Cal State Fullerton (98)
4. Loyola Marymount (114)
5. Cal Coast (209)
LBSU Individual Women Results
7. Alisia Barajas (22:41.3)
8. Liz Ramos (22:44.1)
23. Jennifer Rodriguez (23:20.1)
24. Prism Garcia (23:25.3)
25. Annie Randall (23:37.1)
36. Veronica Franco (23:54.2)
44. Kelly Caulfield (24:06.1)
76. Kylee Martin (25:04.0)
79. Kirsten Neill (25:09.1)
Men's 8K - Team Results (top 5 of 18 teams)
1. UCLA (23 points)
2. Long Beach State (68)
3. Cal State Fullerton (92)
4. Cal Baptist (156)
5. Orange Coast (183)
LBSU Individual Men Results
14. Matt Maldonado (26:15.8)
15. Bret Hasvold (26:22.6)
18. Nick Kelley (26:39.9)
19. Steven DeCastro (26:40.2)
21. Raul Arcos (26:45.2)
23. Josh Ruff (26:50.1)
25. Andrew Garcia (26:55.1)
38. Christopher Walden (27:26.0)
Players Mentioned
