The Trinidad State College men's and women's cross country teams opened their 2016 season at the Adams State University-Joe Vigil Open Saturday on the Cattails Golf Course in Alamosa. Both teams finished in third place behind first place Adams State and runner-up Fort Lewis, both NCAA DII four-year programs.
The TSJC women's team scored 85 points in the race, while the men's team notched 80 points, ahead of Johnson & Wales. Adams State was perfect in both events scoring 15 points respectively.
The Trojan women were led by Wyonna Martin who finished the 5K with a time of 20:35.9. Her sister, Winona was hot on her heels with a time of 20:39.3. Brianna Molina (21:13.1), Maria Montes (21:15.0) and Margarita Jones (22:13.0) rounded out the field for the Trojans. ASU’s Jenna Thurman won the individual title in 17:25.0.
Head Coach Lauren Martin was pleased with the effort of her team noting, "The women ran a really strong race. They went up against strong opposition in the defending Division II National Champions. They fought the whole way and are only going to get better and better with more experience."
Elias Gedyon was the only Trojan to win an individual award, finishing in 26:08.9 on the 8K men’s course, good enough for 13th place. Daniel Haymes finished 20th overall with a time of 27:22.3. Cody Latone (28:38.1), Manual Villegas (29:25.0) and Nicolas Molina (29:34.3) rounded out the field for the Trojans. ASU’s Sydney Gidabuday torched the field to finish first overall with a time of 24:54.20.
"This was a great first meet for the men,” Coach Martin said. “I am proud of how they competed. I am looking forward to us getting better every week from here."
With their inaugural race behind them, the Trojans will now settle into the rest of their season. They will next compete in Gunnison, Colorado at the Mountaineer/Cowboy Invite hosted by Western State Colorado University on September 17.