Sept. 4, 2010

Belmont, Calif. - Taking part in their first race of the 2010 season, the Pacific cross country team picked up a fifth place finish at the Battle of the Bay in Belmont, Calif. on Saturday, September 4. The Tigers took part in the nine team race that was won by San Jose State.

Individually, the Tigers saw their freshmen make immediate impacts on the roster led by Melisa Hopper (San Jose, Calif.) who topped the team with a sixth place individual finish. The freshman posted a time of 19.36 to pace the team.

"I'm excited that I got to run my first collegiate race as a Pacific Tiger," exclaimed Hopper after her finish. "I'm really looking forward to the next four years. Coach Jones is great, the team is great, and I definitely see great things happening in the future of Pacific Cross Country"

Not far behind Hopper was sophomore Jazmin Quiroz (San Jose, Calif.) who finished in 21st place overall with a time of 20:44. Pacific's lone senior, Katie Bella (Beavercreek, Ohio), finished in third on the team with a 32nd overall finish and a time of 21:43.

"This was a great start for our team," said Quiroz of her team's overall day. "It was a definite confidence boost! This just shows that Pacific Cross Country is going to great things this year."

"This was a great first trial run for the ladies," said head coach Josh Jones. "As we do every year this was a "train through race" and the ladies did very well. This is probably our hilliest course of the year and the ladies handled it well. Melissa showed her toughness when she had to slow down for about 15 seconds because of a stomach issue and still finished 6th overall. Jazmin showed she is ready for a great season; her summer training has really put her ahead of where she was last year at this time and all the girls showed great determination. I'm really looking forward to the rest of the season and watching the ladies exceed expectations. "

The Tigers get back on the course on Saturday, September 11 when they take part in the Hornet Jamboree hosted by Sacramento State in Sacramento, Calif. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9:00 am.