Men's 8k Results at Big West XC Championships
Women's 6k Results at Big West XC Championships  

KAHUKU, O'ahu – On a rainy day in the beautiful state of Hawaii, the Cal State Fullerton cross country teams made the future look bright as the Titan men placed third overall and the women finished fourth at the Big West Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning.

"Really proud of both squads," coach John Elders said. "The guys really ran tough and made a strong move in the middle of the race. The gals were a little off their game today but still competed hard. All in all, it's a good step forward for our program."

With the third place finish, the men's squad marks its highest finish at the Big West Cross Country Championships since 1993. The Titan women also made a little history as they collected their highest finish at the event since 2008 with a fourth place finish.

The men got started at 10 a.m. PT (7 a.m. in Hawaii) and settled in with a nice pace to start the event as they sat in fifth through the first split.

However, the Titans made a push through the next few splits as they collected a third place finish with five Fullerton runners finishing in the top-25.

Jason Hillquist was the top-finisher for the men as he elevated himself at the conclusion of the race by jumping two spots with a strong finish to place 12^th overall with a time of 25:34.3. With the 12^th place finish, Hillquist has the highest individual place for a Fullerton runner in the men's event at the Big West Cross Country Championships since 2006 when Jordan Horn finished 10^th overall. 

Sam Pimentel was right behind Hillquist at the finish line as he finished 13^th and completed the course in 25:37.9.

Titans Jose Penaloza, Freek Van de Weerd and Joe Casco were the remaining top-25 finishers. Penaloza finished 18^th overall (25:49.1) while the freshman Van de Weerd placed 20^th overall with a time of 25:55.3 in his first appearance at the Big West Cross Country Championships.

Casco was the final Fullerton runner in the top-25 with a time of 25:58.9 to place 22^nd overall and helped secure a third place finish for the men with a team score of 83 points. The third place finish is the best finish at the Big West Cross Country Championships for the Titan men since 1993.

Daniel Ramirez, Gavin Bradley, Jorge Sanchez-Velazquez and Gabe Toscano also competed for the Titan men at the Big West Cross Country Championships. Ramirez placed 37^th (26:40.1), Bradley finished 41^st (26:47.3), Sanchez-Velazquez completed the course with a time of 27:02.9 to place 47^th and Toscano placed 48^th (27:07.7).

Immediately follow the men's event, the Titan women got started in their 6k event and stayed steady throughout the entire race. The Fullerton women found themselves in fourth through the first two splits and almost leaped to third in the final stretch, but they finished one point behind UC Santa Barbara for fourth with 97 points to place fourth.

Sierra Ungerman continued her incredible season with a remarkable 12^th place finish in 22:20.1 at the Big West Cross Country Championships, which is the best individual finish by a Fullerton runner in the women's event since 2009. The senior finished strong toward the finish line as she moved up three spots from the second split to finished inside the top-15 for fifth consecutive event this year.

Brianna Jacklin also finished inside the top-20 for the Titan women with a time of 22:35.3 to place 16^th overall.

A trio of Fullerton runners finished in succession as Arianna Fuentes was the first to cross the finish line as she placed 22^nd with a time of 22:48.1. Stephanie Ruiz was the next Titan to complete the 6k course at the Kahuku Golf Course as she finished 23^rd overall (22:49.7). Samantha Huerta had a strong showing in her first appearance as the conference championships as she jumped three spots in the end to place 24^th (22:58.3).

The top five runners for the Titan women put together a team score of 97 to place fourth, which is their best finish at the Big West Cross Country Championships since they tied for fourth in 2008.

Sandra Flores placed 31^st overall with a time of 23:21.5, while last year's top-finisher for Fullerton, Pamela Pelayo, completed the course in 23:40.0 to finish 40^th overall.

The final two Titans to cross the finish line were Nisreen Rizk and Stephanie Cortez. Rizk placed 49^th overall (24:12.0) and Cortez finished 62^nd (24:55.8).

Up next for the Titan Cross Country team is the NCAA West Regionals in Sacramento, California, at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex on Nov. 11. Both Fullerton squads competed at the same course in the NCAA West Region Preview earlier this season where both teams placed fourth.

For more information and updates on the Titans, follow us on Twitter (@FullertonTFXC) and like our Facebook page (Cal St. Fullerton Track & Field & Cross Country).