Saturday, September 19
Riverside, CA
California Baptist University
vs
UCR Invite
Photo by: Kieran Intemann/Indiana State Athletics
Marin Highlights Lancers’ Two-Meet Weekend
9/19/2026 10:05:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
RIVERSIDE, CA & TERRE HAUTE, IN – The Lancers battled across two fronts Saturday morning as junior Pedro Marin highlighted the team in Indiana with a sixth-place finish in the men's race, while the rest of the Lancers competed at the UCR Invitational.
Both races kicked off bright and early in the Pacific Time Zone, with each meet bringing strong competition for the Lancers.
John McNichols Invitational
Marin placed sixth in the Men's 8K Championship with a time of 23:52.2, finishing just one second outside the top five. Sophomore Yemane Mulugeta was the second Lancer to cross the finish line, placing 27th in 24:16.9. Junior Lorenzo Riba rounded out the top three for the Lancers with a time of 24:45.0.
In the Men's 8K Open following the Championship race, sophomore Aiden Aldana placed fourth overall with a time of 25:43.9. Sophomore Nicolai Martino also finished in the top 10, placing ninth in 25:54.4.
On the women's side, sophomore Helena Mees led the Lancers with a time of 21:32.2 in the Women's 6K Championship. Junior Keely Bradle (21:48.6) and junior Karolina Bliujute (21:51.3) rounded out the top three for the Lancers.
"Indiana was exactly what we needed," said head coach Sean Smith. "We didn't fully have all of our puzzle pieces together today but we saw that the pieces were there and with 12-18 ranked teams or bubble teams in both races, it makes sense where we finished. But we definitely learned a lot and makes us hungry for the next big block of training. We have 4 weeks until the next big race and there's a lot we can do in that time to close the gap. Adding a couple more in a month will play a big factor and I'm just really proud of how we executed today. It was certainly a brutal course and very hot and humid conditions. Exactly what we needed.
"Pedro established himself as one of the best runners in the country today- that was the best I've ever seen him look and he's incredibly deserving of it. His development has been really special over the last few years!"
Full results for the John McNichols Invitational can be found HERE.
UCR Invite
On the local side, the Lancers saw several runners competing unattached perform well at the Ag Ops Course, the future site of the Big West Championship.
Ernesto Ruiz won the Men's 8K Invite with a time of 23:17.0. Graduate Victor Rosas and junior Itumeleng Ngxabazi, both competing unattached, followed with third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively. Rosas finished in 23:33.1, while Ngxabazi crossed in 23:35.9. Junior Jude Enriquez followed as the first Lancer to finish for the team, posting a time of 24:23.1.
On the women's side, Fatima Mena placed second overall in the Women's 6K Open with a time of 20:14.7. Sophomore Alexis Noble was the first Lancer to finish for the team, placing 14th overall in 20:41.1.
"We are super proud of this team and the racing we saw from them today. It is fun to see the dedication and hard work of summer miles pay off for our athletes that were consistently training when no one was watching this summer," said assistant coach Stephanie Martin.
Full results for the UCR Invite can be found HERE.
The Lancers will have about two weeks off before returning to action on Oct. 3 at the Cougar Challenge in San Marcos, California.
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Both races kicked off bright and early in the Pacific Time Zone, with each meet bringing strong competition for the Lancers.
John McNichols Invitational
Marin placed sixth in the Men's 8K Championship with a time of 23:52.2, finishing just one second outside the top five. Sophomore Yemane Mulugeta was the second Lancer to cross the finish line, placing 27th in 24:16.9. Junior Lorenzo Riba rounded out the top three for the Lancers with a time of 24:45.0.
In the Men's 8K Open following the Championship race, sophomore Aiden Aldana placed fourth overall with a time of 25:43.9. Sophomore Nicolai Martino also finished in the top 10, placing ninth in 25:54.4.
On the women's side, sophomore Helena Mees led the Lancers with a time of 21:32.2 in the Women's 6K Championship. Junior Keely Bradle (21:48.6) and junior Karolina Bliujute (21:51.3) rounded out the top three for the Lancers.
"Indiana was exactly what we needed," said head coach Sean Smith. "We didn't fully have all of our puzzle pieces together today but we saw that the pieces were there and with 12-18 ranked teams or bubble teams in both races, it makes sense where we finished. But we definitely learned a lot and makes us hungry for the next big block of training. We have 4 weeks until the next big race and there's a lot we can do in that time to close the gap. Adding a couple more in a month will play a big factor and I'm just really proud of how we executed today. It was certainly a brutal course and very hot and humid conditions. Exactly what we needed.
"Pedro established himself as one of the best runners in the country today- that was the best I've ever seen him look and he's incredibly deserving of it. His development has been really special over the last few years!"
Full results for the John McNichols Invitational can be found HERE.
UCR Invite
On the local side, the Lancers saw several runners competing unattached perform well at the Ag Ops Course, the future site of the Big West Championship.
Ernesto Ruiz won the Men's 8K Invite with a time of 23:17.0. Graduate Victor Rosas and junior Itumeleng Ngxabazi, both competing unattached, followed with third- and fourth-place finishes, respectively. Rosas finished in 23:33.1, while Ngxabazi crossed in 23:35.9. Junior Jude Enriquez followed as the first Lancer to finish for the team, posting a time of 24:23.1.
On the women's side, Fatima Mena placed second overall in the Women's 6K Open with a time of 20:14.7. Sophomore Alexis Noble was the first Lancer to finish for the team, placing 14th overall in 20:41.1.
"We are super proud of this team and the racing we saw from them today. It is fun to see the dedication and hard work of summer miles pay off for our athletes that were consistently training when no one was watching this summer," said assistant coach Stephanie Martin.
Full results for the UCR Invite can be found HERE.
The Lancers will have about two weeks off before returning to action on Oct. 3 at the Cougar Challenge in San Marcos, California.
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