Photo by Micaela Castillo
CLAREMONT, CA — The University of La Verne men's cross country team ran their best race of the season, taking fourth at the competitive SCIAC Cross Country Championships hosted at Pomona College.
The Leopards, ranked ninth in the West Region, improved from their 6th place 2019 finish and were just four points out of third place which would've tied the best finish in program history.
"The guys were competitive and ran well. It was a huge step forward from the last couple meets," said head coach Jamie Norton. "We have a lot of moment heading into regionals and I still think while this was our best race of the season, we can make some adjustments and improve upon it in two weeks."
The Leopards were led by Michael Sahagun who ran the fastest time ever for a Leopards on the Pomona College campus course. The sophomore took 10th posting a time of 25:01.7. TK Berhe posted another personal record and ran one of the fastest La Verne times ever on the course, finishing ahead of the entire Occidental team in 32nd place with a time of 26:02.7.
Jose Reyes finished third for the Leopards at 26:50.9, Marcelo Martinez followed with a time of 27:05.0, and Efren Martin crossed at 27:18.2. The trio moved up strongly throughout the race giving La Verne the depth it needed to take fourth.
"I'm proud of how we fought and clawed the whole way in a closely contested race," said Norton.
No. 2 Pomona-Pitzer won the SCIAC Championships followed by No. 7 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in second place and Occidental in third.
On the women's side, the Leopards improved on their showing in 2019 finish and took seventh overall. Janelle Baeskens ran her best race of the season, nearly running a personal best with a time of 23:38.6 in 26th place.
Andrea Camacho followed next with a time of 25:42.4 and Rebecca Lee added a mark of 27:17.4.
"I'm excited to see Janelle get her legs under her and put herself in the mix," said Norton. "Andrea and Rebecca ran strong races to keep us close with Cal Lutheran."
Captain Alexia Alvarez ran a phenomenal race improving by a minute yet again (her third minute on the season) with a time of 27:37.2 to be a difference-maker in the scoring. Jannet Olivares (30:12.9) had an exciting kick to beat the fifth Cal Lutheran runner which made the difference in the scoring, securing both the points needed to score evenly with the Regals and the tie-breaking spot to put the Leopards ahead.
No. 2 Claremont-Mudd-Scrips won the SCIAC Championships, No. 3 Pomona-Pitzer finished in second, and Caltech took third.
The Leopards will return to the Pomona College course on November 13th for the NCAA West Regionals.
"We've been working hard all year to get to this point and now it's time to rest up and get ready," said Norton. "This team has come so far over the last few months and improved in ways that have surprised a lot of people, including themselves.
"I'm proud of the work we've done and the cohesive supportive team we have become together."
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