Pair Of Tigers Compete At The Johnny Mathis Invitational

April 4, 2011

San Francisco, Calif. - Looking to stay active in the offseason from cross country competition, the Tigers sent runners to compete in the annual Johnny Mathis Invitational hosted by San Francisco State University on Saturday, April 2.

Running at Cox Stadium on the Gators' campus, the Tigers' Melissa Hopper posted Pacific's best finish of the day as the freshman took home a second place finish in the 3000m Steeplechase. Hopper finished the race with a time of 12:11.69 just behind Santa Rosa's Margie Garza.

"I'm very happy with Melissa's race," said head coach Josh Jones. "She spent the first half of the race just getting used to how to handle the barriers with fellow competitors. The Steeplechase is a very tough race, mentally and physically, but Melissa competed aggressively and ran down a competitor that was 10 meters ahead of her with 80 meters to go."

Also running at the invitational was freshman Cassi Rush who posted a personal-best time in the 5000m. Rush's time of 21:06 was good enough for a 14th place finish in the long distance race.

"Cassi continues to improve week after week," stated Jones. "She improved her 5000m by another 28 seconds. She is a prime example of what dedication, hard work and mental toughness will do for an athlete. She doesn't let obstacles get in the way and it is fun to watch her grow as a competitor and runner."