Cross Country 11/15/2024 9:48:00 PM

Women's Cross Country Places 20th, Men's Team Achieves Highest Regional Finish Since 2014

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The Highlanders women's cross country team placed 20^th as the men's cross country team placed 15^th for the highest team finish at the NCAA West Regional since 2014.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The UC Riverside women's cross country team secured a 20th-place finish out of 39 teams in a highly competitive field at their latest 6k meet. The Highlanders posted a total time of 1:48:29, averaging 21:41 per runner, and tallied 583 points, narrowly edging Eastern Washington (584 points).
Collette Lowengrub led the charge, finishing in 51st place with a time of 20:43.5, while Isatu N'Diaye (21:41.2) and Joy Weber (21:47.1) added key scoring performances. Makayla Anderson crossed the line with a time of 22:00.8. Morgan Nygren (22:17.6), Ingrid Tamayo (22:19.4), and Alexis Corvese (22:40.6) rounded out the Highlanders' performance.
The UC Riverside men's cross country team finished 15th overall for the highest finish at the NCAA West Regional since 2014, clocking a total team time of 2:36:12 and averaging 31:14 per runner. The Highlanders scored 456 points, outperforming teams such as Arizona (457 points) and Eastern Washington (534 points).
Joshua Mendoza led the Highlanders with a strong performance, crossing the line in 56th place with a time of 30:26.7 and averaging an impressive 4:54 per mile. Andrew Castellon followed with a time of 30:46.1. Ashraf Abdelmagid (31:28.1) and Noah Murasmith (31:30.7) added key scoring efforts, while Tyler Kaan (32:01.5) completed the scoring five. Rounding out the Highlanders performance was Baptiste Garderes (32:25.0) and Andrew Parkinson (32:42.2).

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Isatu N'Diaye clocked a time of 20:58.2 at the 2023 NCAA West Regionals and demonstrated consistent growth, finishing this year's race in 21:41.2.
Joy Weber showed marked improvement, shaving over 15 seconds off her 2023 NCAA West Regionals time, dropping from 22:02.2 to 21:47.1 this year.
Joshua Mendoza and Andrew Castellon both achieved career-best times in the 10k, showcasing their strongest performances to date.
Noah Murasmith improved on his 2023 NCAA West Regionals result, cutting his time from 31:36.1 to 31:30.7 in this year's meet.

UP NEXT

This standout effort caps off the 2024 cross country season, with the Highlanders building momentum and promising potential heading into future campaigns.

Players Mentioned

Noah Murasmith: 5' 8"; Junior

Makayla Anderson: 5' 1"; Freshman

Joy Weber: 5' 4"; Freshman

Ashraf Abdelmagid: 6' 0"; Junior

Andrew Castellon: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Baptiste Garderes: 6' 0"; Freshman

Tyler Kaan: Sophomore

Joshua Mendoza: Junior

Andrew Parkinson: Redshirt Sophomore

Lexi Corvese: 5' 2"; Freshman

Collette Lowengrub: Junior

Isatu N'Diaye: 5' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Noah Murasmith
: 5' 8"; Junior

Makayla Anderson
: 5' 1"; Freshman

Joy Weber
: 5' 4"; Freshman

Ashraf Abdelmagid
: 6' 0"; Junior

Andrew Castellon
: 5' 9"; Redshirt Junior

Baptiste Garderes
: 6' 0"; Freshman

Tyler Kaan
: Sophomore

Joshua Mendoza
: Junior

Andrew Parkinson
: Redshirt Sophomore

Lexi Corvese
: 5' 2"; Freshman

Collette Lowengrub
: Junior

Isatu N'Diaye
: 5' 3"; Freshman