CLAREMONT, Ca. – The UC Santa Cruz women's cross country team earned a fifth place finish at the NCAA Division III Cross Country West Region Championship hosted by Pomona-Pitzer on Saturday morning. The Southern California race featured challenging conditions as runners faced ouring rain and a muddy course to battle for the West Region Title. The Banana Slugs saw All-Region performances (Top 35) out of Elena Stanciu, Helena Janku, and Kenzie Seymour with the trio taking fifth, 17th, and 35th. Elena Stanciu was the standout performer for UC Santa Cruz, earning a stellar fifth place finish in 21:49.5. Overall, the team finished with 149 points, averaging a 22:57 with all seven runners earning top 70 finishes.
 
In The Results
As mentioned, Elena Stanciu continued to lead the way for UC Santa Cruz she started the race with the lead pack and never looked back, crossing the line in 21:49.5. Stanciu's performance earns her a spot in the NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championship race in Spartanburg, South Carolina on November 22. Helena Janku was the next finisher for UCSC, taking 17th place with a time of 22:42.7 to earn All-Region honors. Kenzie Seymour completed the team's All-Region performances on the day, running a 23:09.1 to take 35th overall. The trio of Emma Wirz, Ryanne Reynolds, and Fiona Wolf were the next Slugs to cross the line, taking 46th, 48th, and 49th in 23:26.7, 23:34.5, and 23:35.7. Cheryl Chuang rounded out the Slugs' performance with a 70th place finish, crossing the line in 24:16.4.