California Baptist University
Joe Piane Invite
Men's XC Posts a Third Place Finish in Loaded Field at the Joe Piane Invite
10/4/2024 11:59:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
SOUTH BEND, IN--- In the chilly, rainy conditions of South Bend, Indiana, the California Baptist University cross-country team put together an incredible showing in the team's first test of the regular season. The Joe Piane Invite hosted by Notre Dame University featured nine nationally ranked teams, including host Notre Dame, Northern Arizona, and Michigan State, and was the second time they competed in the prestigious race in program history.
The men continued an impressive season with a podium finish in the 8K, while the women would have two runners in the top 100 and place 16th in the 5K.
In a loaded field that included three of the top 5 nationally-ranked women's teams in Northern Arizona, BYU, and Notre Dame, the Lancers would finish 16th in the 22-team field. NAU would be the team winner with 52 points, followed closely by the other two top contenders in, BYU and Notre Dame. Yasna Petrova would pace the group for CBU and be the lone Lancer to finish inside the top 50 in 47th place. Petrova's time of 16:58.8 is a new personal best in the 5K by nearly 30 seconds, which she posted at the same meet back in 2021. Ava Dyck continued her stellar freshman season by being the second Lancer across the line and posted a top 100 finish at 66th with a time of 17:09.6. Four CBU athletes would cross the checkered line in the top 130, led by Ceyda Pinar, who finished 109th, with a solid time of 17:35.8.
The men would continue an incredible start to their season by finishing third of the 22 teams in the field, placing ahead of #30 Michigan State and just behind powerhouses #4 Northern Arizona and #9 Notre Dame. The men started strong in the race and built upon that momentum, ending up with five runners in the top 50, including two in the top six. Valentin Soca and Zouhair Redouane would be the leaders for CBU as they were at the UCR Invite, crossing the line within a second of one another.
Soca crossed the line at 22:45.2 for a new personal best time by nearly a minute, and Redouane came in just a hair later at 22:45.8. Pedro Marin was the next Lancer to cross, clocking in at a time of 23:13.6 which was good enough for 28th place. Daniel Abdala and Adam Trefecanty were the other top 50 finishers, while Victor Rosas was the only other Lancer clocking a top 100 time. The showing was one of the best team performances in the nation this year so far and will likely cause CBU to skyrocket in the national polls.
"The men might be one of the biggest underdogs in the NCAA this season," said Head Coach Sean Smith. "To go from not ranked to racing like this with depth through the whole team while sitting out a couple of key guys makes a statement. There's more left in the tank, and we are excited for a David and Goliath story to unfold. I am proud of this group, and we believe we have a top 10 team in the country."
NEXT: The Lancers will have two weeks off before departing for Madison, Wisconsin, to compete in the NCAA DI Pre-Nationals Meet on Saturday, October 19.
Players Mentioned
