By Michael KlitzingStaff Writer
If the first cross country meet of the year sets the tone for theseason, things are indeed looking up for San Diego State.
Competing in a respectable field of Southern California schools atthe Cal-State Fullerton Invitational, SDSU responded with 74 pointsand a second place finish. UCLA finished first, while UC San Diego,Long Beach State and USC rounded out the top five.
As expected, Sophia Hawker led the charge for the Aztecs. Thesenior finished fifth out of 142 competitors with a time of 18minutes, 15.9 seconds.
“I would have liked to have done better,” Hawker said. “But sincethis is my first race of the season, I’m pleased with how I ran.”
Kylie Edwards, in her first collegiate cross country meet, joinedHawker in the top ten. Her time of 18:39.80 was good enough foreighth overall. Edwards, a star distance runner on the track team,said she is not sure what to make of her finish.
“I am surprised because I didn’t have any idea of how well I woulddo,” Edwards said. “I’m just going to see how it goes this year, butI am definitely encouraged.”
SDSU head coach Jennifer Nanista said she knew all along whatEdwards was capable of.
“I’m more excited (about Edwards) than I am surprised,” Nanistasaid. “I knew she had the potential to run that fast, but it was justexciting to see her go out and actually do it. She is just a reallygood competitor.”
Although it is still early in the season, the runners who arelikely to make up the Aztecs traveling squad for meets in Hawaii,Stanford and the Mountain West Conference Championships in Coloradocame to the forefront.
The rest of SDSU’s top seven finishers, Jennifer Stakiw(19:19.50), Lanele Cox (19:28), Alicia Stewart (19:37.80), HilleryGemmill (19:43.60) and Meriah Earle (19:52), each finished between20th and 33rd and seemed to establish themselves as the team’s eliterunners.
Nanista said the success of the entire top seven speaks volumesabout the depth of this year’s team.
“Our top seven times were all under 20 minutes,” she said. “Lastyear that never happened. They definitely separated themselves fromthe rest of the squad.”
Nanista was also pleased with how close the Aztecs came to thefirst place Bruins.
“To see us getting closer and closer to UCLA is really goodbecause they are where we want to be right now,” Nanista said. “Theyare not BYU, but if we can get to UCLA’s level, we will be a force tobe reckoned with.”
