Chico State men’s and women’s cross country opened their season’s with a first place finish at the Humboldt State Invitational on Sept. 10.

The men’s team had a commanding lead over their competition, finishing with a point total of 17, compared to second place Cal State Monterey Bay who finished with 119.

Senior Will Reyes lead the men’s team to their victory with a first place finish, his fourth time taking the top spot as a Chico State athlete. The ‘Cats took the top six places and had nine runners finish in the top 10.

The women’s cross country team took first in the race but was closely contested by Seattle Pacific. The ‘Cats finished with 40 points, while Seattle remained close to them with 57.

Junior Karlie Garcia led the way for Chico State with a fourth-place finish and was followed by junior Alex Burkhart and senior Sadie Gastelum who finished just seconds after. The ‘Cats claimed eight of the top 20 spots, with first year athletes Nora Pizzella and Desirae Jones showing a strong performance, by finishing in 16th and 18th place.

Chico State will compete again on Oct. 1 at the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento, at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex.

Kenta McAfee can be reached at s[email protected] or @KentaMcAfee on Twitter.