Ventura freshman Ramiro Mateos led a small contingent of Pirates finishing in 36th place overall out of 115 runners at the Fresno Invitational Saturday.
Posted: Sep 04, 2021
The Pirates' men's cross country team opened the 2021 season with a small contingent at the Fresno Invitational Saturday morning. Ventura ran four athletes in the race and did not qualify for a team score, but still had some solid individual performances. Ramiro Mateos led VC, finishing in 36th place out of 115 runners while Sahit Jimenez followed in 43rd.
Mateos covered the four-mile course at Woodward Park in 22:41 while Jimenez finished in 23:04. Other Ventura runners included Gabriel Olivares in 77th (24:31) and Xavier Terminello in 98th (26.03).
VC was one of 13 community college teams competing in the race along with three four-year schools.
"By adding in the individuals that were unable to compete, we are very optimistic about the future of the season," said first-year head coach Martin Maciel. "We are very pleased with today's performance, and are excited to see the team at full strength."
The Pirate women did not compete on Saturday and will debut in two weeks at the Southern California Preview Meet in Irvine. Additionally, VC expects to run a full men's team in Irvine, as well.