UC Riverside
Highlander Invitational
Personal Bests Emerge at Highlander Invitational
10/17/2026 9:20:00 AM | Cross Country
Bertsch, Anderson, lead the way at Highlander Invitational
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - UC Riverside returned to the Ag/Ops Course on Saturday morning, recording several personal bests at the annual Highlander Invitational.Â
MEN'S XC
Freshman Brady Bertsch led UCR at the halfway point (11:50.9) and jumped seven spots at the final split. Bertsch finished his first Highlander Invitational with a top-50 mark (24.40.4), and Finn Babbitt followed in 76th (25.05.4).Â
Bertsch recorded his first collegiate sub-25 8k time while Hunter Hannah (25:22.3) and Jarron Chua (25:29.4) also set personal bests.Â
Hannah and Chua finished seven seconds apart while Tyler Kaan (25:40.0), Eamon Wright (25:47.8), and Bradley Quezada (25:49.6) all crossed the finish line in a nine-second span.Â
WOMEN'S XC
UCR had four runners in the top 45 after the first split. Lexi Corvese and Anna Field were 35th and 36th, respectively, while Ericka Dorn (40th) and Makayla Anderson (41) brought up the rear. Sonya Nichols crossed off the first split in 50th, making it five Highlanders in the top 50 after 2,000 meters.Â
Anderson shot up to 24th at the halfway point in one of the pack's biggest jumps, while Corvese rose five spots into 30th. The duo vaulted UCR into seventh with 4,000 meters to go, and Anderson stayed in the top 30 at the final split as the Highlanders held down eighth.
Anderson finished the 6k in 26th with a personal best of 21:05.6 to lead UC Riverside, who maintained its eighth place finish. Corvese (43rd, 21:25.0) and Field (47th, 21:28.6) rounded out the top 50 for UCR.Â
Corvese also turned in a personal best by 3.4 seconds, as did Dorn, who made her cross country debut. Hannah Aalaei (21:46.0) and Raisa Guerrero (21:59.8) also ran their first collegiate 6k races, and Zaida Velazquez turned in UCR's final personal best at 22:11.2.Â
NEXT UP
UCR returns to action on Halloween for the Big West Championships at the Ag/Ops Course.Â
