 |
|
Byrne Returns Home to Win Cougar 5k Challenge;
Mejia Wins 8k |
|
Full Results (5k) In the first-ever cross-country event hosted by Cal State San Marcos, a pair of familiar faces took home the titles for the 5k and 8k races. Anne-Marie Byrne, a former cross-country and track & field All-American at CSUSM, won the 5k; while current star Juan Mejia took home the title in the 8k. It was a terrific event for Cal State San Marcos, as a huge turnout of both runners and spectators showed up at Mangrum Track & Soccer Field. The course, which numerous runners described as quite difficult, was a circuit around the University’s “front yard,” which 5k runners completed twice and 8k runners ran three times. For Byrne, the win in the 5k is just another success for her at Cal State San Marcos. When she graduated in Spring 2006, Byrne went down as arguably the greatest runner in school history, and on Saturday she proved that she’s still got it. She completed the race in 17:40, 10 seconds ahead of the top male finisher, 15-year old wunderkind Michael Hansen. The Cougars’ team, along with those from San Diego State and Soka, participated in the 5k as well. The top (current) Cougar finisher was Morgan Sjogren, who took 4th with a time of 18:21. Jessica Sandoval finished 6th with an 18:31, and Whitney Patton took 8th in 18:38. The field consisted of 88 runners total. In the 8k, Juan Mejia lived up to his billing as one of the top runners in the region. He finished the race in 24:57, 4 seconds ahead of CSUSM teammate Sergio Gonzalez. Former Cougar runner Jesse Armijo took 3rd in 25:06. 100 runners total competed in the 8k race. Overall, the two races were outstanding, and CSUSM would like to thank the USATF for bringing them to San Marcos!
|