Gabe Plendcio wins men’s 8k, men’s and women’s cross country both place in top five

One Eagle from each team finished in the top 10 as the men’s squad took first among competing schools.

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor • September 29, 2018

Junior Gabe Plendcio earns new school record in the 8k event.

Both men’s and women’s cross country teams finished in the top five at the Master’s University Mustang Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif. on Saturday. The men won in a clean sweep by placing first of 17 teams and the women placed third of 22 teams.

On the men’s side, junior Gabe Plendcio won the 8k event for the Eagles with a time of 24:52.1. Sophomore Angel Escobar placed 14th with a time of 25:36.3 and sophomore Giovanni Orellana finished in 15th by a time of 25:38.2. Freshman Jared Donnel came in 23rd with a time of 25:49.7.

Biola won the men’s team competition with 69 points and a top-five combined time of 2:07:54.1. Occidental College finished second with 119 points and an average time of 2:09:41.6.

For the women, sophomore Mackenna Mason led the way for the Eagles and finished fourth in the 5k with a time of 17:58.8. A few seconds ahead of Mason, UCLA’s Amber Gore won the event with a time of 17:45.8.

Freshman Clara Haynes placed 19th and finished in a time of 18:29.0 and senior Emily Ransom grabbed the 26th spot with a time of 18:37.6.

Three Eagles placed one after the other in the event. Graduate student Micaela Pulliam finished in 31st with a time of 18:47.3 and sophomore Kaitlyn Natividad placed 32nd just a few seconds behind Pulliam in 18:47.9. Senior Kaili Waller came in 33rd by a time of 18:53.7.

UCLA won the team competition with 58 points and a top-five runner combined time of 1:31:30.1. Biola grabbed third place with 109 points and a top five runner combined time of 1:32:40.5.

Both cross country teams will next compete in the Santa Clara University Bronco Invitational in Sunnyvale, Calif. on Oct. 13.

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About the Contributor

Sasha Terry, Copy Editor

Sasha Terry is a senior journalism major who is known for her positivity and passion. She enjoys writing, playing sports, watching movies, traveling, shopping and spending time with friends and family. After traveling from Auburn, Washington which is about 40 minutes south of Seattle, to Biola University, I declared to major in journalism with an emphasis in broadcast. I came to Biola University with a strong passion for being involved in activities on campus that would demonstrate my artistic and writing abilities. The Chimes caught my eye the first semester of my freshman year and I decided to work with the staff as a freelance sports writer. I enjoyed attending the games, interviewing the coaches and players and writing game recaps. The next semester, I applied for the sports staff writer position and was accepted, which strengthened my writing drastically. During my sophomore and junior year, I worked as a Web Editor and innovated the Chimes website and social media pages. This year, I am stepping into the Copy Editor position and I aim to continue working towards my goal of being a broadcast journalist by reporting stories and challenging myself to learn more about AP Style. I will also continue to write for the sports section to strengthen my writing even more. I’m so glad to be a part of the staff and I’m excited for what’s to come next.