U of R Cross Country Shines at Tough UCR Invitational

Maria Ramirez competes at a race
Photo credit: Beth Doolittle
Posted: Sep 15, 2018

The University of Redlands men's and women's cross country teams competed at the 38th Annual UCR Invitational in nearby Riverside on Saturday. The Bulldogs put forth an admirable effort while taking on runners from all NCAA Divisions.

The Bulldog women began the meet in the 6000m race. Overall, Redlands placed 16th in the team standings with a combined time of 1:57:09, with the average finish coming in at 23:25. The Maroon and Gray finished second amongst Division III schools.

Junior Maria Ramirez (Orange, CA) served as Redlands' top finisher by showcasing an impressive time of 21:25.8 for 29th place. Her time marked the fastest for Division III racers and broke the school record by more than 20 seconds. The previous mark of 21:49.4 was established in 2015 by Lauren Roberts '16.

First-year Alexis Wallace (Orangevale, CA) completed the race in 23:40.2 as the Bulldogs' second runner.  First-year Isabella Glenn (Seattle, WA) and sophomore Greta Jursch (Agoura Hills, CA) closely followed her in respective times of 23:49.0 and 23:49.4.  Senior Ellie Ramsey (Waterbury, VT) rounded out the Bulldogs' top five with her time of 24:25.2. 

Next up, the men took on the course in the 8000m event during the second race of the morning. The Bulldogs finished with a total team time of 2:12.52 for an average time of 26.34. Sophomore Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) produced a solid run for 45th overall with a time of 25:16.9, which was sixth amongst Division III opponents. He also ran the fastest time in Bulldog history since 1985, now ranking fifth all-time at Redlands.

Senior Joseph Esparza (Arcata, CA) trailed closely behind with a career-best time of 25.33.3 to place 64th.  Senior Benjamin Casey (Highland Park, IL) posted a mark of 26:57.9, as sophomore Trevor Brouelette (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA) crossed the finish line less than 35 seconds later with a time of 27:29.1.   

Additional members of the men's team also competed in the 8000m Open Race.  Redlands fared well with a 13th-place finish by earning a total time of 2:23.38, which was good for fourth among Division III squads. In this race, the Bulldogs saw first-year Jamir Jones (Fairfield, CA) as the top finisher with a mark of 27:58.9. Fellow classmate Joey Roberts (Poway, CA) was not far behind by running a 28:11.7.

Redlands takes on the CSUSB Coyote Challenge on Saturday, September 22, at 9 a.m. in San Bernardino.