Friday, October 7
Riverside, Calif.
9:00 am
California Baptist University
vs
CBU Invite (8K)
Looking Poised for PacWest
10/7/2016 1:05:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Cross Country, Cross Country & Track
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Just two weeks before the PacWest Conference Championship, California Baptist University dominated the CBU Invite with ease, looking poised heading into the postseason.
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The No. 18-ranked Lancers had six runners in the top 10 to win the invitational with 42 team points Friday morning.
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"We were working on the last part of our race so the guys were instructed to not set the pace – we wanted to let everyone else dictate the pace until the end and then finish strong," said Coach Ben Gall. "I thought they did a really good job of that. I don't think the outcome of the race was ever a question, but how we executed our plan is going to pay dividends for later, so that's really good."
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Dennis Messmer led the pack of Lancers and won the 8K with a time of 25 minutes, 21.85 seconds.
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"Today was pretty easy, it wasn't as fast as last week," said Messmer. "It's so amazing to see so many guys finish in the top 10. Even without Valentin [Robert], we have such a strong team. If one guy has a bad day, it doesn't matter, we're still going to win, like today and hopefully at the PacWest, and go into regionals racing well. We have such a good team that we come into the race with an eased mind, knowing our teammates will run strong."
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Putting Messmer's words into action, CBU showed it's a force to be reckoned with, as a slew of gold jerseys came pouring through the finish gates.
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Ken Kipkorir was right on his teammate's heels for second place. The sophomore crossed the finish line in 25:23.75. Mirco Zenzen, Jeremiah Gotts, Jayden Emerson and William Ernst rounded out the six Lancers finishing in the top 10, taking seventh through 10th, respectively. Zenzen clocked in at 25:38.97, while Gotts followed in 25:48.51. Emerson just beat out Ernst by almost one second exactly, crossing the finish line with a time of 25:50.54. Ernst finished the race in 25:51.53.
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Jonah Ross led another pack of Lancers through the finish line, taking 15th overall with a time of 26:19.99 as the final CBU runner to score points. Bismarck Kipkilach followed in 26:29.43, while David Aguilar clocked in at 26:31.86 for 17th place.Â
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In two weeks, 10 Lancers head to Hilo, Hawaii, to defend their five-straight conference crowns. Last year, nine CBU runners finished with All-PacWest honors, despite only the top-seven finishers actually scoring points for the team. Â
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"I think we're really positive going into the conference meet," Gall said. "There were some things that had to play out today – we had three spots left open [for Hawaii] and five guys trying to fill those spots – but they're all on the same page and excited for it. I think we're much more confident than we've been in the past. They really have their roles defined and they're excited to move forward."
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The No. 18-ranked Lancers had six runners in the top 10 to win the invitational with 42 team points Friday morning.
Â
"We were working on the last part of our race so the guys were instructed to not set the pace – we wanted to let everyone else dictate the pace until the end and then finish strong," said Coach Ben Gall. "I thought they did a really good job of that. I don't think the outcome of the race was ever a question, but how we executed our plan is going to pay dividends for later, so that's really good."
Â
Dennis Messmer led the pack of Lancers and won the 8K with a time of 25 minutes, 21.85 seconds.
Â
"Today was pretty easy, it wasn't as fast as last week," said Messmer. "It's so amazing to see so many guys finish in the top 10. Even without Valentin [Robert], we have such a strong team. If one guy has a bad day, it doesn't matter, we're still going to win, like today and hopefully at the PacWest, and go into regionals racing well. We have such a good team that we come into the race with an eased mind, knowing our teammates will run strong."
Â
Putting Messmer's words into action, CBU showed it's a force to be reckoned with, as a slew of gold jerseys came pouring through the finish gates.
Â
Ken Kipkorir was right on his teammate's heels for second place. The sophomore crossed the finish line in 25:23.75. Mirco Zenzen, Jeremiah Gotts, Jayden Emerson and William Ernst rounded out the six Lancers finishing in the top 10, taking seventh through 10th, respectively. Zenzen clocked in at 25:38.97, while Gotts followed in 25:48.51. Emerson just beat out Ernst by almost one second exactly, crossing the finish line with a time of 25:50.54. Ernst finished the race in 25:51.53.
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Jonah Ross led another pack of Lancers through the finish line, taking 15th overall with a time of 26:19.99 as the final CBU runner to score points. Bismarck Kipkilach followed in 26:29.43, while David Aguilar clocked in at 26:31.86 for 17th place.Â
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In two weeks, 10 Lancers head to Hilo, Hawaii, to defend their five-straight conference crowns. Last year, nine CBU runners finished with All-PacWest honors, despite only the top-seven finishers actually scoring points for the team. Â
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"I think we're really positive going into the conference meet," Gall said. "There were some things that had to play out today – we had three spots left open [for Hawaii] and five guys trying to fill those spots – but they're all on the same page and excited for it. I think we're much more confident than we've been in the past. They really have their roles defined and they're excited to move forward."
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Cross Country & Track
/ Cross Country & Track
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Men's Cross Country
/ Cross Country & Track
/ Cross Country & Track
/ Cross Country & Track
/ Cross Country & Track
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