Panthers Take Second at Tri-State Challenge

The Hartnell College men's cross country team competed out-of-state for the first time this season, returning from Las Vegas, Nevada, with a strong second-place finish at the Tri-State Challenge. The meet was a collaboration between College of Southern Nevada and Hartnell College to attract two-year colleges from California, Arizona, and Nevada for a friendly competition in the desert. College of Southern Nevada hosted at the desert oasis of Floyd Lamb Park on the northern edge of Las Vegas, featuring a one-kilometer loop around the ponds and a two-kilometer loop through desert terrain.

Running the longer 8km distance for the first time this season, the Hartnell men maintained their grouping while placing second to College of the Canyons. Freshman Giovanni Ochoa handled the near extra mile best, finishing ninth overall in 26:47. Giancarlo Mendo (27:00) and Alvaro Ruelas (27:02) finished close together for the first time this season, with Ivan Martinez-Galindo close behind in 27:10. Gabriel Clemente-Altamirano rounded out the scoring five in 27:37. The Panthers scored 55 points, just 13 shy of winner College of the Canyons. Sophomore Leyder Hernandez ran in the top seven with a 27:54, while freshman Alex Acevedo earned his first top-seven finish of the season in 28:21.

The Panthers will host the Pink the Park Invitational, formerly the Toro Park Invitational, on Friday, October 3 at Toro Park. All participating teams are encouraged to wear pink in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The men's 4-mile race will begin at 11:15 a.m.