La Verne Notches Fourth-Place Finish At Pomona-Pitzer Invitational

The University of La Verne men's cross country team enjoyed a successful return to competitive racing with a solid fourth-place effort Saturday at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational, setting a school record in the process.

The Leopards, competing in their first race in three weeks, had three runners place inside the Top 50 overall among individuals in a field that included several unattached competitors.  In the team competition, La Verne (130) finished behind Cal State San Marcos (36), UC Irvine (70) and host Pomona-Pitzer (79).  The Leos finished ahead of fifth-place Redlands (137) and sixth-place Occidental (138).

La Verne had a total time of 2:17.07.81 at the meet for an average time of 27:25.56.  The 2:17.07.81 team time established a new school record for a 1-7 split, topping the previous mark of 2:17.09 set earlier this season at UC Irvine.

Freshman AJ Licon led the way for the Leopards with a 20th place overall finish (12th among scoring competitors), completing the 8-kilometer course in 26:39.6.  La Verne sophomore Matthew Sustaya placed 35th overall (22nd among scorers) with a time of 27:12.0.

Freshman Cristobal Gutierrez earned the third-best Leopard performance on the day with a 44th place effort (28th among scorers), finishing his race in 27:26.3.  Other Leopard runners included Alex Forbess (27:45.4) who placed 57th overall, and Sean Kusick (28:04.5) who finished 64th.  Among scoring competitors, Forbess was 33rd while Kusick was 35th.

La Verne, ranked ninth in the latest UTFCCCA West Region Poll, will continue action in two weeks as it competes in the SCIAC Multi-Dual held Saturday, Oct. 16 at La Mirada Park.