Cal State San Marcos Men's Cross Country Shines at Home in Cougar Challenge

No. 9 Cougars top nine-team field for second meet victory this season.
10/19/2013 6:22:00 PM


Steven Ing (left) led a wave of blue near the front of the pack Saturday.

Men's Overall Results
Team Scoring
Medalists By Age Group— Dirt Dog Series
Photo Gallery

SAN MARCOS, Calif.— The No. 9 Cal State San Marcos men' s cross country team claimed their second race victory of the season Saturday at the Cougar Invitational, ran on the CSUSM campus at the Mangrum Track and Field.

The Cougars tallied just 27 points in defeating the nine-team field, and placed all five scorers in the top eight to outdistance Albion (Mich.) with 60 points and California Coast Track Club's 79 points.

The race was an intercollegiate competition but also open to the public, including members of the San Diego Dirt Dog Series, who brought numerous talented runners from the Southern California area to the event.

CSUSM alumnus ('08) and former NAIA All-American Sergio Gonzalez won the men's race with a time of 25:03, pulling away from a tight pack of four runners over the course's final half mile. The race for second place was a tight one between Albion's Paul Lewis and CSUSM's Steven Ing, but Lewis pulled away over the final 40 meters to claim runner-up.

Ing, a sophomore from South Africa who placed second at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational two weeks ago, ran a season best 25:10 and looks to be rounding into form after missing the most of the past year due to injuries. He led the team for the second straight race, with three-time NAIA All-American Western Nelson placing fifth overall and fourth in the team scoring with a mark of 25:36.

Eric Brockhoff came in as the third Cougar scorer, crossing the line ninth overall and sixth in the collegiate scoring with a time of 25:42. Caesar Castillo picked up seven points for the Cougars with his 12th place finish, and Daniel Ybarra closed out the scoring for CSUSM with a time of 26:17— good for 16th overall and eight team points.

CSUSM will return to action next Saturday at the NAIA West Coast Jamboree in Orange, hosted by No. 23 ranked Biola.

Courtesy Cal State San Marcos