CLAREMONT, CA — Melissa Cerrillos and Rachael Dela Cruz both finished in the top-12 and six La Verne runners posted personal bests at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational Saturday morning. Three of the Leopards' times rank in the top-10 in program history in the 6k.
From the Coach
"The women surprised me today with most of them running a personal best for the 6k," said Head Coach Justin Wood. "This was our first race at the 6k distance so I expected it to be more of a rust buster for them but they raced well and proved that they are in great shape. Next week will be an even bigger test for them at Pre-Nationals in Wisconsin and I'm confident that they are ready to step up."
The Leopards finished sixth as a team in front of SCIAC rivals Caltech, Chapman, Whittier, and Cal Lutheran. La Verne alose placed ahead of NAIA Westmont.
Cerrillos finished 10th overall in the event setting her new personal record at 22:59.7. The time placed her third all-time in La Verne women's cross country history.
Right behind Cerrillos in 11th overall was fellow senior Dela Cruz. She crossed the finish line just nine seconds later with a new personal record of 23:08.6, the fourth fastest time in program history.
Michelle Suarez also made her way onto La Verne's top-10 list with her personal best. The sophomore posted a time of 24:14.4, seventh all-time in the La Verne record books.
Ashley Garnica (25:23.3), Reiko Fujimoto (26:09.1), and Jesja Pham (26:58.1) all set personal records.
Yasmin Lopez clocked in at 26:28.4, Karen Cruz finished at 26:31.7, and Alexia Alvarez finished with a time of 30:46.1.
Next Race
The Leopards take a trip to the Midwest next to compete in Pre-Nationals. The meet at Oshkosh, Wisconsin will take place on Saturday, October 13 at 11:20 a.m.
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