Canyons Cross Country Teams Finish Strong at SoCal Championships
The women’s team finished the event in second place, while the men's team takes fourth.
The COC men's and women's cross country teams are headed back to the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) State Championships after a strong qualifying run at the SoCal Regionals held Nov. 6 at Mission Bay Park in San Diego.
The women's team finished the event in second place with a score of 115, placing behind only conference rival Glendale College (35).
COC freshman Jessica Ruiz finished in third place with a time of 18:58.8 to lead the Cougars.
Sophomore Amanda De Jesus was next to complete the 5K course at a time of 19:37.5, placing 10th among the field of 187 runners.
Alexandra Whitman finished in 34th place with a time of 20:11.4.
Lizeth Flores turned in a time of 20:13.8 and Chelsea Wells completed the race at 20:18.9 to round of the Canyons scorers with a 39th place finish.
On the men's side, COC sophomore Ethan Walker was the race's second-place finisher, with the Cougars placing fourth as a team.
Mt. SAC won the event with a team score of 82, followed by Riverside City College (100), San Bernardino Valley (124) and Canyons (142).
Walker ran a time of 20:35.7 on the four-mile course, while sophomore Jason Hillquist finished in 16th place at 21:18.8.
Nick Liebmann's time of 21:43.7 was good for 32nd place, while Arnold Bautista (21:53.1) and Joseph Rosales (21:58) rounded out the Canyons top five in 45th and 49th place, respectively.
The men's field included 193 runners from 27 schools across the region.
Canyons will next run at the CCCAA State Championships in Fresno on Saturday, Nov. 21.
In 2014, the men's team returned home from Fresno as State Champions, while the women's team finished as runner up.