SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The No. 9 Cal State San Marcos men's cross country team took first place Saturday morning at The Master's College Mustang Challenge.  Junior Enrique Ramirez clinched his first top 5 finish as a Cougar, placing fourth behind three NCAA Division I runners.
 
The Cougars finished the race with a total of 72 points, defeating NCAA DI Cal State Fullerton by 12 points. 
 
In the third mile, the guide took the men the wrong way that led the men to run a longer course then expected. The course ran to be approximately 5.1 miles versus the normal 8k scheduled run. Despite this challenge, the Cougars adjusted to the mix up and respectively performed to their best. 
 
Showing a solid team performance, there was only a 35 second spread between the top 5 CSUSM runners. 
 
Ramirez led the Cougars with a time of 26:04.6, followed by 12th place finisher freshman Andrew Tellames (26:14.5) and junior Zach Laurenzana who finished in 22nd place (26:16.5). Rounding out the top finishers were sophomores Issac Vallejo (45th, 26:36.3) and Daniel Ybarra (72^nd, 26:39.7).
 
The Cougars are back in action in two weeks for the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational in Claremont on Oct. 4.
 
TEAM SCORES: 1. Cal State San Marcos 72; 2. Cal State Fullerton 84; 3. Sacramento State 109; 4. The Master's College 133; 5. Fresno Pacific 170; 6. Pomona-Pitzer 184; 7. Loyola Marymount 189; 8. Grand Canyon 190; 9. Vanguard 200; 10. UC Irvine; 11. Westmont 327; 12. Cal Lutheran 331; 13. Embry Riddle (Ariz.) 363; 14. Marymount 394; 15. Simpson 404; San Bernardino Valley 445; 17. William Jessup 493; Inc. Concordia (Calif.); Inc. Hope International  
 
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 1. Jacob Huston (Sacramento State) 25:46; 4. Enrique Ramirez 26:04.6; 12. Andrew Tellames  26:14.5; 22. Zach Laurenzana 26:16.5; 45. Issac Vallejo 26:36.3; 72. Daniel Ybarra 26:39.7; 100. Ryan Maize 26:40.1; 133. Easton Tackett 26:48.0