California Baptist University
Mark Covert Classic
CBU Sweeps the Mark Covert Classic to Kick Off Cross Country Season
9/2/2023 3:09:00 PM | Cross Country & Track
BREA--- In the first meet of the 2023 season, the California Baptist University cross country team swept the Mark Covert Classic with wins on the men's and women's sides.
🚨Lancer's Win🚨
— CBU XC & Track (@CBUXCTF) September 2, 2023
The men and women sweep the Mark Covert Classic!
Men's 8K:
1. Rikus Van Niekerk- 24:11.8
2. Massimiliano Berti- 24:21.0
3 Dylan Van Der Hock- 24:31.4
Women's 5K:
1. Emilia Mikszuta- 17:22.1
2. Maja Dzialoszewska- 17:27.6
5. Mia Cabrera: 17:54.2#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/41tXkSsXpc
The conditions at Carbon Canyon Regional Park were less than ideal, with rain coming down periodically throughout the races. The rainy weather caused the back half of the course to be muddy, and hard for the runners to find footing. However, CBU shook off the poor conditions and ran well to claim first-place finishes in the men's 8K and women's 5K.
On the men's side, CBU claimed the three top spots, with Rikus Van Niekerk claiming his first collegiate win. Van Niekerk paced the group with a time of 24:11.8. The time was Van Niekerk's second fastest of his collegiate career, a little under 22 seconds behind his best run that he recorded at the WAC Championships in Seattle in 2022. Right behind him was Massimiliano Berti, who ended the race at 24:21.0, and Dylan van der Hock at 24:31.4. Berti was eight seconds off of a personal best and marked the best finish of his CBU career. Van Der Hock, who ended with a third-place finish, had a personal best time of 24:31.4, besting his previous time by seven seconds.
Rounding out the men was freshman Pedro Marin with a fifth-place finish, Roman Zozulia at 13th, and Tyler Tickner at 19th. As a unit, the men bested the next-best team in host Cal State Fullerton by forty points and finished with a runner average of 24:32.
For the women, CBU had half of the top ten runners, including Emilia Mikszuta, who put together a strong race en route to a first-place finish. Mikszuta's time was 17:22.1 and marked the second time she has brought home a first-place finish in cross country season after she did it at the Anteater Open in 2022. Mikszuta was followed closely by teammate Maja Dzialoszewska, who finished five seconds behind her at 17:27.6. Mia Cabrera came in fifth at 17:54.2, with teammates Karin Gosek and Liliana Mlynarczyk placing seventh and eighth, respectively.
As a team, the women finished 42 points clear of the runner-up in Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and had an average runner time of 17:48.
The Lancers runners will be back in action on Saturday, September 16th, with the first race beginning at 7:15 A.M.
Players Mentioned
