SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The 23rd-ranked University of California, Merced men's cross country team and the UC Merced women's cross country team competed in The Master's University XC Invitational on Saturday morning at Central Park.
Jonathan Chavez led the Bobcats and helped lead his squad to a tenth place finish among 22 teams. The women registered a 12th place finish out of 16 competing teams.
Chavez placed 15th overall clocking a personal-best time of 24:39.2. The second fastest time in program history was a tenth second shy of Anthony Tyler's record time in 2018. However, Chavez's time is UC Merced's best ever at the TMU XC Invite. The Hilmar, Calif., native shaved 24 seconds off his previous PR.
Sharvin Manjrekar earned a top 50 finish with a time of 25:33, good for 46th overall. Noah Vasquez ran a PR time of 26:05 to finish 81st, while Alberto Alves finished six seconds later in 88th place. Derrick Pickrel scored fifth for the Bobcats in 26:27. Pickrel placed 99th overall.
Elizette Ysais led the women's team, placing 36th in the 6k with a time of 22:46.
Jaydah Aguilar finished 70th overall in a personal-best time of 23:52.
UC Merced's third finisher, Brieanna Anderson, also registered a PR with a time of 25:14. The Folsom, Calif., native placed 115th. Anjaneesa Ward placed 130th with a time of 25:53, while Kayley Betancourt followed closely in 133rd in a time of 26:00.
Next up, UC Merced will run at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational on Saturday, October 14. The race will be held at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, Calif.
