SUNNYVALE, Ca. – The UC Santa Cruz women's cross country team had a strong showing in two separate races on Saturday with one team finishing second overall at the Bronco Invite while the other team took 11th at the Augustana Interregional Invitational at the Saukie Golf Course in Rock Island, Illinois. At the Bronco Invite, UCSC earned a second place finish in the Open 6k with 84 points and an average time of 23:35 while the Banana Slugs racing at the Augustana Interregional Invitational averaged just under 23 minutes at 22:59, finishing with a total time of 1:54.59 and 315 team points in a field that included many of the country's best programs.
 
Bronco Invite
The Banana Slugs had a great race at the Bronco Invite, putting three runners in the top 30 with Emma Wirz leading the pack in 23:14.0 to take 18th place while Holly Alchin and Madelyn Basinet took 24th and 26th, crossing the line in 23:31.3 and 23:32.8. The trio of Faith Dyogi, Hope Martin, and Meeran Gill weren't far behind as the three Banana Slugs crossed the line in 23:47.9, 23:53.6, and 23:54.5 to take 31st, 33rd, and 34th. Hayden Flynn rounded out the top seven for UC Santa Cruz as the first year crossed the line in 24:21.3, good for a 47th place finish. Melody Chiu (53rd), Frieda Cedillo (56th), and Madison Lorenz (61st) also turned in sub 25 minute performances, finishing in 24:33.3, 24:40.9, and 24:54.8 with Amelie Geofron (64th) narrowly behind in 25:01.5.
 
Augustana Interregional Invitational
Elena Stanciu had a standout performance for the Banana Slugs in the Midwest showdown, earning a 10th place finish with a time of 22:02.8, averaging a 5:54.8 mile throughout the 6k. Helena Janku was the next finisher for UCSC, taking 53rd overall with a time of 22:55.9. Ryanne Reynolds wasn't far behind Janku in the 6k race, taking 77th with a 23:14.5 while Fiona Wolf crossed the line in 23:19.1 to take 86th. Cheryl Chuang rounded out the top five for the Banana Slugs with a 105th place finish, crossing the line in 23:27.0. Lucia Muthu was the next Banana Slug to complete the 6k, running a 23:51.5 to take 141st while Rosey Harris rounded out the top seven in 200th with a 24:23.8. Jordan Robinson also had a solid race for UCSC, crossing in 25:06.0 to take 260th.