California Baptist University
NCAA Championship
CBU Men's Cross-Country Places 25th at the National Championship Race
11/22/2025 9:08:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
COLUMBIA, MO--- The California Baptist University men's cross-country team finished its third consecutive National Championship run in 25th place as they battled the cold, foggy conditions of Gans Creek Cross-Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
Temperatures ranged in the mid-40s in Missouri as the Lancers represented the state of California on the national stage. CBU would finish ahead of solid programs such as #28 North Carolina, #18 Princeton, and #29 Harvard in the team score.
The race was bunched up from nearly the start to finish, with the lead pack not breaking off until the final 5K of the race. The Lancers got caught in the middle of the leading pack from the beginning and were never able to gain ground on the lead pack. Valentin Soca would be the first Lancer across the line as he would finish 108th with a time of 29:39.5. The time was just 13 seconds off his All-American time from last season.
Brett Rushman put together a very impressive race and would be the second athlete to cross the finish line for Sean Smith's crew. Rushman finished in 121st with a time of 29:46.2. Pedro Marin would be next for CBU in 138th, posting a time of 29:52.2, which would be a new personal best time in the 10K for Marin. Ernesto Ruiz and Victor Rosas would be the final two countable scores for the Lancers, placing 170th and 171st, respectively.
Players Mentioned
