Riverside, Calif. – Coconino Community College’s Ryan Hatch broke his own 8k school record at the Highlander Invitational hosted by the University of California Riverside.
The comets hit the road and competed at the Highlander Invitational in Riverside, California, where they met a competitive field with over 20 teams consisting of NCAA division I , division II, division III, NAIA, and NJCAA teams.
Hatch took no mercy on his own school record as he ran 25:29 over the 8k distance to smash his previous time of 26:27. Tanner Dugi ran a time of 27:03, Kevin Pawesiema Jr. 27:29, Kyler Williams 27:41, Taylor Taliman 28:44, Jehovan Flores 30:56, and Hayden Williams 31:43, all of which were lifetime personal bests. Ladainian Morris, 29:48, also competed and ran his second fastest 8k time ever.
Here’s what Head Coach Craig Hunt had to say about the race, “We came out to Riverside to get out of our comfort zone and challenge ourselves. A race this size, with over 20 teams and 200 individuals, is just what we needed to help simulate our national championships and gain more experience in tough races, and I believe we did exactly that. Performance wise we had 2 school records set, one on the men’s side and another on the women’s side, so hopefully the athletes are leaving with some extra confidence.”
Both the Men’s and Women’s cross country teams will compete next at the NJCAA Region 1 Championships at Heroes Regional Park in Glendale, Arizona on October 28th, hosted by Glendale Community College.
