RIVERSIDE, Calif. – 26 schools, 48 teams and over 700 student-athletes traveled to the Inland Empire for a historic cross-country meet, the 40^th annual University of California, Riverside (UCR) Invitational. The UCR Invitational is the first of two cross-country events hosted by the Highlanders in the 2021 season. The meet takes place on the sprawling Ag/Ops Course, weaving through the university's agricultural operations center which features groves of 100-year-old citrus trees.
 
Head Coach Nathan Browne was elated to have his team competing on their home course for the first time since 2019, saying, "It was a thrill to have all the fans and supporters out on the course today. I want to say thank you to the UCR Athletics Department for hosting this important competition for these student-athletes, for the conference and the entire region. I am so excited to be back!"
 
The women's team finished fifth out of 22 teams with 166 points in the 6k and the men finished ninth out of 24 teams with 287 points in the 8k.
 
The women's team was led by Linda Perez, a freshman who finished 20^th overall with a time of 21.03.3. Shortly behind her, freshman Collette Lowengrub crossed the finish line at 21.10.3, just a few tenths of a second ahead of fellow freshman Highlander Carolinh Calvert, who finished at 21.10.9. All three earned spots in the UCR Athletics All-Time Top-25 Record Books.
 
"I thought that the women did a great job of competing together and making moves as a group," said Coach Browne. "Linda competed well as usual, but Collette and Carolinh weren't far behind, which was great to see."
 
A trio of freshman lead the men's team as well, with Joshua Mendoza being the first Highlander to cross the finish line at 33^rd overall with a time of 24:43.7, earning himself a spot in the UCR Athletics All-Time Top-25 Record Books. Sean Caster came in next for the men, finishing 66^th overall at 25.24.0. Ashraf Abdelmagid came in a little over a second later, 25.25.2, for a 70^th finish overall.
 
"Josh running sub 24:50 was a great run for a freshman," Coach Browne commented. "We have a great young group that is learning how to race together. I am really excited about this team!"
 
Zach Newsom, the newest addition to Coach Browne's cross-country coaching staff, added, "I was very pleased with our efforts across the board today. We executed our race plan and had some solid performances on both the men's and women's sides. It was great to see our athletes running together and working their way through the field." He continued, "Our race plan was still fairly conservative, so I'm excited to see what this group can do when we turn them loose a bit more. We have about a month where we can really attack some solid training before our next race, so it's very encouraging to see them already racing so well."
 
For full meet results, head here.
 
Next, the Highlanders return to the Ag/Ops course to host the Highlander Invitational, Saturday, October 16, 2021. Stay tuned to gohighlanders.com for more details!