IRVINE, Calif. -- The 32nd Annual Vanguard Invitational kicked off the cross country season for the VU program and the women certainly made quite the debut, as the Lions won their own event for the first time since 2019. Kate Baranski also shined in her maiden cross country event, as the ex-soccer player won the women's individual title in a time of 19:38.54, the first VU runner to win an individual title since Marissa Thompson in 2018. The men finished third out of the three teams that participated and were led by Jesse O'Campo, who came home fourth in a time of 27:21.95.
The women's team had four of the top six spots, with Karla Sanchez-Ruiz coming in second with a 19:53.59. India Moors was fourth with a mark of 20:20.56 and Stephany Bertin made her debut with a sixth-place finish and a time of 20:43.13. Vanessa Flores finished 11th and had a time of 21:26.53, Rebekah Pinedo nabbed 15th with a 22:02.50, and Bella Nelson was 19th, posting a 22:34.16. Vanguard had 16 total points compared to Point Loma's 44, as the Sea Lions were the only other full-strength team participating.
The men finished with 52 points, behind Hope International's 46 and Orange Coast College's 31. Cooper Anderson had a 27:54.69 to come home in seventh and Ommar Arroyo had a quality appearance in his first time out in the Blue and Gold, placing 10th with a time of 28:22.19. Anthony Kennen was next up in 20th for VU with a mark of 30:21.40 and Payton Kubalsky was not too far behind, posting a 30:43.80 and ending up 22nd. Austin Fortenberry was 29th and had a time of 34:40.07.
What was Said? "I was very pleased with how our teams performed today," said Head Coach Bryan Wilkins. "It was a solid season debut, even though we were missing a handful of our top runners. We love running at our home meet in front of so many supportive fans from the Vanguard community. It's our desire to be an uncommon team this year. We want to give glory to God in everything we do, through our performance, how we represent Vanguard, how we love one another, and how we respect and care for our competitors."
What's Next? The Lions will take part in the UC Riverside Invitational on Saturday, September 16th, starting at 7:30 a.m.