Clemente Paces Panthers to Win at Cuesta

The 2025 Hartnell College men's cross country team has set some challenging goals for this fall after placing fourth in Northern California and ninth at the 3C2A State Championship in 2024. With a solid group of sophomore retuners and the addition of some key freshmen, the Panthers made progress toward those goals with a decisive early season team victory at the Tour de Cuesta in San Luis Obispo. The Panthers put five in the top 10 overall to tally a low score 33 points to second place San Joaquin Delta College with 72 points. 

Sophomore Gabriel Clemente Altamirano paced the Panthers to the victory moving into the top five in the race just before the two mile mark. He would grab one more spot before the finish placing fourth overall in 23:12. Clemente, who worked all summer in the fields in the Salinas Valley, was a consistent top 7 performer as a freshman. Fellow sophomore Giancarlo Mendo placed sixth overall just ahead of conference foe Giovanni Lancellotti of De Anza College. Mendo was just 20 seconds behind Clemente. A pair of newcomers would cross the line next for the Panthers. Giovanni Ochoa (23:43) and Jose Contreras, Jr. (23:49) would finish eighth and ninth. Sophomore Ivan Martinez-Galindo was tenth overall in 23:52. Also cracking the top 14 was sophomore Leyder Hernandez (24:28). 

The Panthers will compete next at the Clovis Crush Invitational on Friday, September 5 at Woodward Park in Fresno. This will be their first run on the course that will host this year's Northern California Championship for the first time in 30 years. 

Tour de Cuesta Finishers

23:12 Gabriel Clemente Altamirano
23:32 Giancarlo Mendo
23:43 Giovanni Ochoa
23:49 Jose Contreras, Jr.
23:52 Ivan Martinez-Galindo
24:28 Leyder Hernandez
24:39 Alvaro Ruelas
24:59 Aaron Eldredge
25:14 Alex Acevedo
27:48 Christopher Rodriguez
29:27 Edgar Javier Soto
29:53 Diego Avila-Garcia