Track Team Looks Great at Occidental Distance Classic
March 16, 2007

It was another strong performance for the Cougar track team on Friday, as the squad qualified six more athletes for Nationals at the Occidental Distance Classic.

On the men's side, three Cougars earned their trip to the Nationals Championships. They're the first CSUSM men to qualify since the 2005 season.

Leading the way was Juan Mejia. The cross country star competed in his first 10k run of the track season, and certainly did not disappoint. He finished 2nd, posting a time of 31:07.08.

Two 5,000-meter runners qualified as well for the men. Sergio Gonzalez posted a time of 14:58.70, and Mike Crouch ran 15:11.16. They finished 3rd and 5th, respectively.

Finally, though Tony Guadagnini didn't qualify for Nationals, he gave a strong performance in the 1,500m, finishing 5th with a time of 3:57.83.

Not to be outdone, three women qualified for Nationals as well on Friday. Morgan Sjogren, Emily Jones, and Whitney Patton all ran great times, and will join the numerous Cougar women who have already earned their way to the Championships thus far.

Competing in the 10k, Sjogren was tremendous. She won the meet easily, and her time of 37:44.20 was over a minute better than the top qualifying standard.

Meanwhile, Patton and Jones competed in the Steeplechase, and finished first and second, respectively. Patton ran 11:22.24, and Jones finished right behind her with an 11:24.64.