MCKINLEYVILLE, Calif.--- Both Cal Poly Humboldt Men's and Women's Cross Country teams had strong showings at this morning's Jim Hunt Humboldt Invitational, as graduate students Nick Brichta and Rosa Granados swept the individual titles in the men's 8k and women's 6k events. In the team competition, the men put six individuals in the top nine places to handily beat nationally ranked NAIA opponent Southern Oregon, while the women had two of the top three finishers to finish runner-up to the visiting Raiders.
In his first race in a Humboldt uniform, Brichta ran with poise and experience, as the Arcata native moved to the front of the pack early, working alongside the Southern Oregon duo of Zack Alexander and Jensen Salvatori, as well as fellow Humboldt teammates Ricardo Torres and Carson Smith. In the last 2 kilometers, Brichta pulled away, cruising to a winning 8k time of 25:30, twelve seconds ahead of second place. Torres finished 12 seconds behind Alexander and Salvatori to finish fourth (25:57) while Jaxon Leduc used a smart mid-race move to place sixth (26:07). Smith (seventh, 26:16) and Aris Valerio (eighth, 26:27) rounded out the scoring for the Jacks. True freshman Luis Sandoval ran a strong race to finish ninth (26:35) and cap off a solid string of Humboldt finishers. The Lumberjacks put nine runners before Southern Oregon's fourth scorer crossed the finish line, as the team pulled away for a 26-35 victory over the visiting Raiders.
On the women's side, Granados had an encore of last year's performance, as she took the individual title for the second year in a row. The sixth year grad student from Arroyo Grande pulled away in the later stages to win the women's 6k in 22:25, 18 seconds clear of second place Lauren Forster from Southern Oregon. Saedy Williamson placed third in 23:16 while freshman Reese Sion finished eighth (23:45). Emilie Cates (13th, 25:09) and Jessica Hill-Roddick (15th, 25:17) finished off the scoring for Humboldt. As a team, the Lumberjacks scored 40 points to finish second to Southern Oregon.
UP NEXT: The Jacks will have a week off of competition before returning to the course on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational at Bush's Pasture Park in Salem, Ore.
