XC | Women Took Third, Men Took Seventh at the West Coast Conference
10/28/2023 5:18:00 PM | Cross Country, Women's Cross Country, Men's Cross Country
MALIBU, Calif. - The Gaels took on the West Coast Conference Cross Country Championships Saturday morning at Alumni Park in Malibu. The women competed first, finishing third out of nine while the men finished seventh out of eight.
Once again, Rayna Stanziano was the leader of the Gaels, as she finished in seventh with a time of 21:49.8. Stanziano was in 11th at her first split mark of 0.86K but jumped four spots at her next split into seventh. She remained in seventh throughout the remainder of the race.
Sophomore Kaylee Barnes began in 35th place in the first split mark and jumped 27 spots allowing her to finish right behind Stanziano in eighth place with a time of 21:52.0. Molly Dreher jumped 23 spots throughout her race, giving her a time of 22:02.0 and finishing in 13th.
For the first time since 1990, the Gaels had three women finish in the top 13. This is the highest finish and best team score (89) for the women in 32 years. Stanziano and Barnes were named All-WCC Runners finishing in seventh and eighth, along with Dreher receiving All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition as she finished in 13th.
After the race, Head Coach Marty Kinsey said, "This was a truly special day. The women worked so hard, not just this season, but for the past several years, building the culture and being the best student-athletes that they could be to get to this point. We needed a lot of things to go in our favor, but we also needed to have the best race, top to bottom, that our team could have. Everything fell into place today and I couldn't be more happy for the team!"
The men's top finisher was Cayden Hein in 22nd place with a time of 25:43.0. Hein was able to jump 22 spots throughout his race. The Gael behind Hein was Junior Blane Reynolds. Reynolds finished in 32nd with a time of 26:13.6, jumping two spots from the last split to the finish line. Just three spots behind him was Luke Bland in 35th. Bland finished with a time of 25:25.6, as he jumped 18 spots from beginning to end.
#GaelsRise
Once again, Rayna Stanziano was the leader of the Gaels, as she finished in seventh with a time of 21:49.8. Stanziano was in 11th at her first split mark of 0.86K but jumped four spots at her next split into seventh. She remained in seventh throughout the remainder of the race.
Sophomore Kaylee Barnes began in 35th place in the first split mark and jumped 27 spots allowing her to finish right behind Stanziano in eighth place with a time of 21:52.0. Molly Dreher jumped 23 spots throughout her race, giving her a time of 22:02.0 and finishing in 13th.
For the first time since 1990, the Gaels had three women finish in the top 13. This is the highest finish and best team score (89) for the women in 32 years. Stanziano and Barnes were named All-WCC Runners finishing in seventh and eighth, along with Dreher receiving All-WCC Honorable Mention recognition as she finished in 13th.
After the race, Head Coach Marty Kinsey said, "This was a truly special day. The women worked so hard, not just this season, but for the past several years, building the culture and being the best student-athletes that they could be to get to this point. We needed a lot of things to go in our favor, but we also needed to have the best race, top to bottom, that our team could have. Everything fell into place today and I couldn't be more happy for the team!"
The men's top finisher was Cayden Hein in 22nd place with a time of 25:43.0. Hein was able to jump 22 spots throughout his race. The Gael behind Hein was Junior Blane Reynolds. Reynolds finished in 32nd with a time of 26:13.6, jumping two spots from the last split to the finish line. Just three spots behind him was Luke Bland in 35th. Bland finished with a time of 25:25.6, as he jumped 18 spots from beginning to end.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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