For Immediate Release
Inter-Region Jamboree on Tap Friday
Oct. 2, 2013
Inter-Region Jamboree Men's 8k Course Map (9:30 a.m.)
Inter-Region Jamboree Women's 5k Course Map (10:30 a.m.)
FULLERTON, Calif. – The Cal State Fullerton men's and women's cross country squads continue the 2013 season this weekend on Friday at the Inter-Region Jamboree hosted by Sacramento State.
The men's 8k and the women's 5k course will be held at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, Calif. The men's race will start at 9:30 a.m. followed by the women's race at 10:30 a.m.
Haggin Oaks Golf Complex will also serve as the course for the 2013 NCAA West Region cross-country championships.
INTER-REGION JAMBOREE: Hosted by Sacramento State and the Sacramento Sports Commission at Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, the Inter-Region Jamboree will serve as a West Regional preview meet.
THE COURSE: The course layout will be on the Arcade Creek course using nine different holes following an outer and inner horseshoe design. The men's course loop is approximately 3,300 meters run three times for the 10,000-meter championship distance and the women's course has a cut-off at 2,500 meters, and it is run twice for the 6,000-meter championship distance.
The inner horseshoe can be cut out on the first loop of each course to configure 8,000 meter and 5,000 meter race distances. The course is very flat, and almost all of the running is on well-maintained fairways. The outer and inner horseshoe configuration makes the course very spectator/coach-friendly and prevents any possible lapping of runners.
The course fully meets all NCAA Championship specifications, as it is 10 meters wide at all points on the course, and the runners will run approximately 1,000 meters before the first turn. The Start and Finish areas are adjacent to one another and are at the entrance to the course near the clubhouse and awards pavilion. The starting area is 70 meters wide which allows for upwards of 35 starting boxes that meet the NCAA required size. The course remains over 30 meters wide throughout the entire first 1,000 meters of the race. The course finishes with a forgiving 300 meters finish down the ninth fairway.
RESULTS: Complete results will be posted on Fullertontitans.com.
CSUSB INVITE: The Cal State Fullerton women's cross country team completed its best finish of 2013, finishing first at the 2013 CSUSB Invite held at the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Training Academy last Saturday morning.
Junior Katie Bathgate led the Titans with a first-place performance, completing the 6k course with a time of 22:30.9.
Three additional Titans rounded out the top-six finishers as sophomore Ana Valdovinos finished fourth (22:57.0), followed by freshman Arianna Fuentes (5th, 23:00.3) and senior Sara Taylor (6th, 23:06.5).
The Titan women actually placed six runners in the top-10, followed by sophomore Emily Taylor (8th, 23:14.2) and junior Celinda Manzo (10th, 23:22.3).
The first-place finish for the women was the program's first since winning the Northridge Invite on Oct. 16, 2009. Bathgate's win was also the first first-place finish of her career.
The Cal State Fullerton's men's team finished third at the CSUSB Invite with a point total of 49, trailing UC San Diego (1st, 33 points) and Cal Poly Pomona (2nd, 39 points).
Freshman Joe Casco was the first Titan to cross the finish line, completing the 8k race with a time of 26:48.7, good for fifth place. Senior Brian Aleman was the only fellow Titan to finish in the top-10, completing the race in seventh place with a time of 26:54.8.
Top 3 Men's Finishers at CSUSB Invite
Name Overall Finish Points Time
Joe Casco 5th 4 26:48.7
Brian Aleman 7th 6 26:54.8
Daniel Ramos 11th 10 27:14.2
Top 3 Women's Finishers at CSUSB Invite
Athlete Overall Finish Points Time
Katie Bathgate 1st 1 22:30.9
Ana Valdovinos 4th 4 22:57.0
Arianna Fuentes 5th 5 23:00.3
FRESHMEN MAKING AN IMPACT: In three collegiate races, Gilbert Solorza has recorded the fastest times for the Titan men. At the Mark Covert Classic, Solorza, a native of Buena Park, Calif., ran a 25:53.5 8k, which was 18 seconds faster than the next Titan finisher, and at the Fresno Invitational he ran a 20:02.9 four-mile. Most recently, Soloraza finished sixth (first among Titans) at the Mustang Challenge with a time of 25:15:15. Last Saturday, freshman Joe Casco led the Titans with a fifth-place finish at the CSUSB Invite, clocking a time of 26:48.7.
FIRST PLACE FINISH FOR TITAN WOMEN: Junior Katie Bathgate led the Titans with a first-place performance, completing the 6k course at the CSUSB Invite last Saturday with a time of 22:30.9. The first-place finish for the women was the program's first since winning the Northridge Invite on Oct. 16, 2009.
TEAM FINISH FOR MEN: The Titan men recorded a second place finish at the Mustang Challenge, which was the team's best finish since Sept. 3, 2011 when the team placed second at the Asics Season Opener.
LONGEST-TENURED COACH: As the 2013 season gets underway, cross country and track and field head coach John Elders enters his 26th season at the helm of each program making him the longest tenured head coach in the history of Cal State Fullerton.
Elders was tied with former fencing head coach Heizaburo Okawa (1982-2006) and former men's soccer coach Al Mistri (1981-2005) for 25 years of service at Fullerton. The Orange County native coaches cross country, women's indoor track and field, and men's and women's outdoor track and field, and is one of three current Titan head coaches who have graduated from Cal State Fullerton joining men's soccer head coach Bob Ammann and women's soccer head coach Demian Brown.
A LOOK AT THE 2013 TITANS: The men return five of the seven runners who competed at the conference championships, while the women return three. However, last season's top female runner Emily Taylor missed the conference championships due to an injury. The Titan men return 15 players from last season and add 13 newcomers. On the women's side, nine total runners return and ten freshmen join the 2013 roster.
SEASON PREVIEW: Cal State Fullerton head coach John Elders sat down with the sports information staff to discuss the upcoming 2013 season. Filmed by department videographer Matt Brown, fans can view the entire video via Youtube.com/CSFAthletics.