Jessica Kain Breaks School Record at UC Riverside Invitational

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State cross country team finished 14th out of 31 teams on Saturday morning at the UC Riverside Invitational held on the campus of UC Riverside. Jessica Kain paced the Aztecs as she finished 17th overall out of a field of 265 runners.

Kain, a senior from Scotts Valley, Calif. was the top Aztec on the day and finished the 6K race in 20:46.5. Her time not only earned her 17th overall and in the top 6 percent of all finishers, it also placed her atop the Aztecs all-time record book. Her time of 20:46.5 over a full 6K course is the fastest recorded time by an Aztec in school history. The previous record was set in 2017 by Christine Kent who ran 20:47.8 at the UC Riverside Invitational that year.  

The next Aztec to finish was Vanessa Cabello (48th), who clocked in a 21:22.6. She was followed by Taylor Lustyan (97th) and Isabella Peretti (100th), who finished in 21:57.2 and 22:00.0 respectively. Lustyan's time was a PR for her, she ran over 30 seconds faster than her previous fastest 6K.

Lauren Harper (116th place) was the fifth Aztec to cross the line. She finished the course in 22:07.6 to complete SDSU's scoring group.  

Also competing for San Diego State in the 6k were Amber Elias (131st, 22:14.8), Nicole Meyer (147th, 22:20.7), and Alex Lomeli (210th, 23:09.2).

SDSU had two athletes compete in the open 5k as well. Zala Sekavcnik finished the course in 19:26.1 (80th place), and Tatum Zinkin ran 19:56.4 (109th place).

Coach Lusitana's take: "I felt the effort and competitiveness was there today from the entire team. Our average team time was 21:39 which is only a second off the best Aztec all-time mark on this course, so I am extremely proud of the team for really going for it today. Jessica ran exceptionally well, as did Vanessa."

The Note: Jessica Kain broke the school record in the 6k with a time of 20:46.7. The previous mark of 20:47.8 had stood since the 2017 season.  

The Note II: The Aztecs placed 14th out of 31 teams and beat multiple power five schools including CAL, USC, and Arizona State.  

Up Next: San Diego State returns to the trails next week at the Cougar Challenge on September 24.

UC Riverside Invitational (6k)
Top 5 plus SDSU Result
1. Arizona – 140
2. Cal Poly – 141
3. Southern Utah – 149
4. UC Irvine – 181
5. UC Santa Barbara – 190
14. San Diego State – 353  

Individual Results
(Top 5 & SDSU Results)
1. Ryley Fick (LBSU) – 20:07.5
2. Sierra Atkins (UC Davis) – 20:14.7
3. Brianna Weidler (UC Davis) – 20:16.1
4. Allie Scimia (LBSU) – 20:16.5
5. Maddie Kackley (UC Davis) – 20:19.5  
17. Jessica Kain (SDSU) – 20:46.5 – School Record
48. Vanessa Cabello (SDSU) – 21:22.6
97. Taylor Bailey-Lustyan (SDSU) – 21:57.2
100. Isabella Peretti (SDSU) – 22:00.0
116. Lauren Harper (SDSU) – 22:07.6
131. Amber Elias (SDSU) – 22:14.8 147. Nicole Meyer (SDSU) – 22:20.7
210. Alex Lomeli (SDSU) – 23:09.2