Strong start to the 2015 Season for CMS Team and Alumni at Nationball Classic
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps cross country teams got their 2015 competitive season underway on Sept. 5 at the Nationball Classic in Santa Barbara. CMS met in a four-mile race along the beach.
Two-time All-American senior Zorg Loustalet led the Stags, followed closely by Nico Banks finishing in 21:30 and 21:31 behind CMS alum and defending champion Bennett Naden. Evan Molineux (21:49), Garrett Ryan (21:51), Jack Wilson (21:56) and Kyle Lund (22:01) should continue to push each other towards success at the regional and national levels.
The women's race was also won by CMS alum Sara Mostatabi who also defended her winning title. Senior All-American Bridget Blum finished first for the Athenas, clocking in with a time of 25:04, followed by Jen Lehr (25:37), Bryn Mckillop (25:50) and Caroline Willian (26:01) and Carmen Mejia (26:16). These last four women represented the Athenas at the NCAA nationals in 2014, and are in the running to do so again in 2015.
The CMS women beat NAIA #7 ranked Westmont 20-30, while the Stags beat Westmont's men 20-41. Additionally, the teams once again beat Westmont 2-1 in the annual Nationball tournament held on the beach.
The preseason NCAA Division III Cross Country Regional Team Rankings, released Tuesday by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA), showed both the Stags and Athenas ranked first in the West Region. In the USTFCCCA National Team Rankings, released Wednesday, the women are ranked 11th while the men are ranked 12th.
Both teams will race again next Saturday, September 12th at the UC Riverside Invitational.