SAN FRANCISCO — Both Humboldt State cross country teams put together peak performances Friday, the Jacks' men placing third in the 12-team field and the HSU women sixth among 16 squads in their respective races at the San Francisco Invitational.
The Lumberjacks' Andrew Sylvester was the top finisher from the California Collegiate Athletic Association, placing seventh overall with a time of 25 minutes, 33 seconds over the 8K course that previews the venue that will be used for the NCAA Division II West Region Championships in November. Marko Cheseto of Alaska Anchorage won the race in 24:52.
Luis Galacia, in 10th place, and Nick LaPlant, in 17th, both had strong races for the HSU men. Galacia clocked 25:52 and LaPlant was timed in 26:14.
"Our men really went out hard and had a great race," HSU head coach Sandy Moran said. "This should give the a lot of confidence going into the postseason meets."
Alex Caballero was Humboldt State's fourth finisher, placing 22nd in 26:24, and Eric Malain completed the scoring pack, taking 29th in 26:31. Less than a minute separated HSU's top five finishers.
The men's race proved a tight battle, with Alaska Anchorage claiming first place with 52 points. Western Oregon was second with 56 points, only two points ahead of HSU's 58. Anchorage entered the week ranked No. 15 nationally and third in the West Region, while Western Oregon ranked fifth regionally, one spot ahead of HSU.
As they have been all season, the HSU women were led by senior Megan Rolland, who finished 12th overall in the 6K race with a time of 22:39. Irene Graham was 26th in 23:24, and freshman Chelsea Schaefer placed 53rd with a time of 24:11.
Tess Dahlgren, 55th in 24:15, and Amanda Garcia, 58th in 24:17, gave the Jacks a tight pack behind the front-runners.