SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - On Friday afternoon, the Concordia University Irvine cross country programs competed at the San Francisco State Invitationals. Both teams rose to the occasion to earn second place on the men's side and first for the women's race. This is the second time both squads have finished in the top three, and it also means the women's team has won half of the meets they have raced this season.

On the men's side, Golden Eagles flexed their depth, putting their first five runners in the top 20. The dynamic duo of Noah Plaza and Juan Sebastian Garcia led the way as they finished seventh and eighth, respectively. They were soon followed by David Berardi, Fernando Aguirre, Jason St. Pierre, Colin Bervig, and Joshua Scheetz, who rounded out the top seven CUI athletes. This strong performance led them to upset No. 23 Fresno Pacific and place behind No. 30 Simon Fraser.

The women's 6k race also saw the Golden Eagles put their five scoring runners in the top 20 of a deep field that consisted of regionally ranked Cal State East Bay (No. 8) and Saint Martin's (No. 10) and nationally ranked Simon Fraser (No. 28). Jori Paradis and Porshe Eismann set the tone for CUI by giving their squad two top ten finishes. The battle for first place was fierce between the Golden Eagles and CSUEB, as each squad's top seven were needed to displace each other. Thanks to the strong performances by Maddie Jahshan, Adriana Gil, Sara Feitz, Elizabeth King, and Alana Hurley. The Golden Eagles were able to come away with one point victory.

After coming into the meet ranked regionally for the first time in NCAA history on both sides, the Golden Eagles are showing they have what it takes to soar up the polls. Stay tuned for the USTFCCCA regional and national rankings early next week to see where CUI is placed.

To see the full CUI cross country schedule, CLICK HERE.

CUI will be back in action on Friday, Oct. 21, at 5:00 p.m. at the John Elders Invite.