[ Golden Gater Online - September 16, 1997 ]
In their second meet of the season, two runners from the SF State women's cross country team finished in the top 10 for the 5K, while one runner from the men's team finished in the top 25 for the 10K.
Outstanding performances by Kenna Masuda and Ragga Thordarson of the women's team, and Chuck Wyckoff of the men's team highlighted Saturday's meet.
"It was awesome," SF State coach Randi Lydum said. "We had two runners finish in the top 10. We did much better then last week because both teams were complete and they pulled together. As a result, they were stronger."
Unfortunately for the Gators, both teams placed last among the five schools competing in the California State University at Stanislaus Invitational.
Masuda finished first on the team and sixth overall with a time of 19:28, but the junior said she felt much stronger then last week, where she placed 20th overall at the CSU Chico Invitational.
"Everyone has improved a lot since last week," she said. "We've really focused on practicing, working hard, improving every week and not getting injured."
Thordarson finished second on the team and ninth overall with a time of 20 minutes and was also pleased about how the team finished.
"I think we did really well. It's a process of building blocks to make a competitive team," said Thordarson, who placed 14th overall last week in the CSU Chico Invitational,.
"It's an extremely rewarding experience to do well," said Thordarson, who, as a senior, is in her final season. "Each race has its own dynamic. They're all so different."
Thordarson said she plans to run as hard as she can and give 100 percent.
Among the men's finishers, sophomore Wyckoff placed first on the team and 24th overall with a time of 35:37, while junior Peter Fain placed second on the team, 31st overall, with a time of 36:20.
Wyckoff, whose bright colored hair (painted in yellow, purple and green) is hard to miss, beat his personal record of last year more than a minute.
"Although everyone ran good as a team, they could have done better," he said. "Humboldt State (first place) and Chico State (second place) were amazing, but we have a lot of young talent."
Fain, one of three sick runners who did not compete last week, said that he will try to increase his competitiveness over the season. Coach Lydum said that both the men's and women's finishes at the CSU Stanislaus Invitational are a good sign of things to come.
"The teams saw what they had to work on, and individuals are a little more competitive. They mentally stayed in the race better this time," Lydum said.
Most everyone on the team agreed that the course at Stanislaus was pretty flat, dusty, and hotter then at SF State.
"I like more challenging courses," Masuda said. "Next week's meet at Humboldt State will definitely be a more typical cross country course."