Sept. 11, 2015
Fresno, Calif. -- San José State University men's cross country runners Ben Branagh and Jose Piña finished second and third individually at the Fresno State Invitational, helping the team finish third out of five Division I schools in the 6K race.
Branagh's time of 18:28.3 was nine seconds faster than what he ran at last year's Fresno State Invitational where he also finished second overall but first among collegians.
Freshman Piña was narrowly edged out at the finish line by Branagh as he finished in third place in only his second race. He was however the top freshman finisher in the meet.
Raul Rodarte, Jannik Ernst, and Josue Gonzalez were in the next pack of Spartan runners finishing 18th, 20th and 21st overall, 20 seconds behind Branagh to round out the scoring for the Spartan harriers. Craig Huff was 29th with a time of 19:14.6 with Huruy Zeratsion only two seconds behind finishing 31st overall.
Spartan cross country coach Brad Wick was pleased with the overall performance of his squad.
"They did a nice job of packing up as that was the goal this week," said Wick, referring to the tactic of having the team's fastest runners race near the front, while the rest of the team runs in smaller groups or packs that are similar in ability. In each pack, a leader will push the pace so others could follow and hang on with the pack as long as possible.
The 20 second spread between Spartans' top finisher and fifth scorer also met Wick's expectations as it's a positive indicator of the depth of the team that the third year coach is establishing.
Cal Poly's Swarnjit Boyal won the race with a time of 18:08.9 leading the Mustangs men's team to a first place finish as they placed five runners in the top 15.
After competing in two meets within a span of six days, the Spartans will have their next race in two weeks on September 26 at the Stanford Invitational.
Fresno State Invitational Men's Cross Country 6K Run Woodward Park, Fresno, Calif. September 11, 2015 | ||
TEAM RESULTS | TOTAL SCORE | |
1. Cal Poly | 33 | |
2. Stanford | 46 | |
3. San José State | 64 | |
4. Sacramento State | 114 | |
5. Fresno State | 117 | |
TOP INDIVIDUALS | SCHOOL | TIME |
1. Swarnjit Boyal | Cal Poly | 18:08.9 |
2. Ben Branagh | San José State | 18:28.3 |
3. Jose Piña | San José State | 18:28.5 |
4. Albert Gamez | Cal Poly | 18:31.3 |
5. Garrett Migliozzi | Cal Poly | 18:31.5 |
SAN JOSÉ STATE FINISHERS | TIME | |
2. Ben Branagh | 18:28.3 | |
3. Jose Piña | 18:28.5 | |
18. Raul Rodarte | 18:43.9 | |
20. Jannik Ernst | 18:47.7 | |
21. Josue Gonzalez | 18:48.4 | |
(29.) Craig Huff | 19:14.6 | |
(31.) Huruy Zeratsion | 19:16.3 | |
Social Media
Keep up with your San José State men's cross country team this season on social media!
Get highlights and upcoming events via Twitter by following @SanJoseStateTF
Get highlights and see post-meet pictures on Instagram by following @sjsudistance
The team is active on Facebook. See the workout and meet videos via facebook.com/sjsudistance