Bloss Sets CMS Record in 10000 Meters at Mt. Sac Relays

WALNUT, Calif. – Meredith Bloss set a new CMS record in the 10000 meters at the Mt. Sac Relays on Friday evening, finishing in a time of 34:35.52 to finish 16th in a field of 39 runners, almost all of which come from Division I schools.

Bloss took almost a full minute off of the old school mark of 35:22.27, which had held since 2011, when it was set by Jennifer Tave. It is also the third-fastest time in Division III so far this season.

Bloss didn't have the only strong performance from the CMS women's track and field team on Thursday. Emily Clarke won her section of the women's 5000-meter run at the Bryan Clay Invitational at Azusa Pacific, finishing in 16:53.28 to move into fourth place in CMS history, one spot behind Bloss, who ran a 16:51.32 earlier this year. Riley Harmon also ran a 17:04.52 in the following section of the 5000, which moves her up to No. 7 all-time in CMS history, after she came into the competition ranked No. 10 with a personal best of 17:19.11.

Two weeks ago, Harmon moved into fourth place at CMS in the steeplechase at the SCIAC Multi-Dual hosted by CMS at the Burns Track Complex, while Clarke moved into sixth place in the 3000 meters earlier this spring. The 16:53.28 also put Clarke in 13th place out of 104 runners at the Bryan Clay Invitational in a field that included competitors from Northwestern, California, Iowa State, Washington State, among others.

Clarke unofficially moves into eighth place in Division III this season (pending other results), just behind Bloss in seventh, while Harmon places 15th. The Athena distance runners have continued to make a national impact this academic year, after earning a second-place finish at the 2021 Cross Country Championships, where Bloss, Harmon, Clarke and Natalie Bitetti each earned All-America honors. Bloss also earned All-America honors at the 2022 Indoor Track and Field Championships with a seventh-place finish in the 5000. 

CMS will have several competitors in action tomorrow at the Bryan Clay Invitational, including Caroline DelVecchio in the 400-meter hurdles, and Bitetti and Laura Zimmer in the 1500 meters. The full team will be in action on Saturday at the third SCIAC Multi-Dual, hosted by La Verne, in the final tune-up before the SCIAC Championships on April 30 and May 1.