DAVIS, Calif. — The University of San Francisco men's and women's cross country teams both executed well-run race strategies Friday in the last "tune-up" meet of the early season, as both teams finished fifth at the inaugural Stump Invitational hosted by UC Davis at Wildhorse Golf Club.
 
Temperatures approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit Friday, and the Dons were already planning on using the smaller, local meet as another early season tune-up, just like they did in the season-opening USF Invitational on Aug. 31. The top-two men's finishers from two weeks ago and the top-three women's finishers were held out of Friday's competition. Like the season opener, the strategy Friday was to run as a group and run a steady pace through the entire race.
 
MEN
 
USF's top individual finish on the day came from Sam Stevens, who made his debut in the green and gold with a 12th-place showing in 25 minutes, 43.2 seconds, across the 8-kilometer men's race. Jacob Hernandez was only three spots behind him in 15th with a time of 25:49.0. Caleb Haugland again finished as the third runner for the Dons, placing 32nd overall in 26:21.9.
 
Daniel Maneloveg was USF's fourth runner, finishing 50th in 27:09.6. True freshman Hiruy Alemseged came in 60th place in 28:54.0, and Adrian Alvarado finished 64th.
 
NCAA Division II powerhouse Chico State won the men's race with 18 points, grabbing the top three spots and putting seven in the top-10.
 
WOMEN
 
Anna Tait, USF's fourth finisher on Aug. 31, led the women Friday with a 27th-place showing in 23:00.9, across the 6 km course. True freshmen Sophie Soefeldt (30th, 23:09.4) and Abigail Pradere (31st, 23:12.5) packed very well with Tait in their collegiate debuts, finishing within 12 seconds of her. Senior Josien Scheepens wasn't far behind that lead pack of Dons, as she finished 38th in 23:39.4. Freshman Julia Morales also made her collegiate debut Friday, capping the Dons' scoring in 49th place with a time of 24:27.9.
 
Host UC Davis won the women's team title with 25 points. The Aggies had three in the top-five and six in the top-10 to beat out California's 33 points.
 
COMING UP
San Francisco rests for two weeks before kicking off the competitive portion of its 2019 schedule. It starts in Minneapolis with the prestigious Roy Griak Invitational on Sept. 28.