SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Excited to get the season started, the Jessup Cross Country team shifted their slated first meet from early in the week to a run Saturday at the San Francisco Invitational in Golden Gate Park due to the surrounding fires. The strong field of Division I athletes proved to be great competition in preparation for the season ahead.
 
"It was great to be racing again despite all the adjustments we needed to make the last few weeks in preparations with air quality concerns," head coach Jeff Magely commented after the race. " The change of meet at the last minute was an adjustment as well, but all that said, it is great to be racing again." 
 
The women would approach the start line first, taking on the hills of The City for a 6K, the first race for all but one at this distance. 
 
"It was important to get the first race in today as the distances were a first time for so many of our athletes," Magley continued, "as well as the first time in a few years that our returners had raced at the distances as we had an abbreviated schedule last season."
 
Leading the Warriors was returner Azalea Prince who finished with a 23:42 time as teammate Natalie Loo was close behind, clocking 24:09. With the third-best time amongst the Warriors, junior Lacy Ceremony (26:33) had an impressive PR on the day by over two minutes, while cutting her time from her last raced 6K in 2019 by nearly 5 minutes.
 
Magley commented on the veteran Ceremony, the only one with experience racing on the women's side a 6K achieving such a feat, "Lacy did a great job, a big breakthrough for Lacy as our number three with a big PR and finally getting healthier racing."
 
Closing out the pack were incoming runners new to the roster, Haley Borjas (26:37) and Hailey Hopkins (28:18), who both competed in their first 6K of their careers coming off the 4-5K routes in high school and junior college.
 
The men's race was led by senior veteran Ryan Hanks who looked composed and ready to compete after a shortened season in 2020. He finished with a time of 27:08 in the men's 8K race, taking over two minutes off his time from his last 8K race at the Jessup Invite last fall.
 
"Ryan Hanks was engaged throughout the race and had a great attitude about racing again," Magley reflected. "As a senior leader, it was great to see that from last year to the first race this year.
 
Rounding out the returning men's squad was Austin Shields (28:45), Luciano Linares (28:51), and Jonathan Conklin (30:58). The team results were concluded with incoming Warriors wearing the royal and red for the first time and taking on the 8K for a career first in Ethan Loomis (31:10) and Josh Spiva (31:16).
 
The Warriors will return to the city next weekend to compete at the San Francisco State Invitational on Saturday with a slightly different course but comparable as this week has given them a taste of what to expect. 
 
Magley concluded with thoughts on a competitive race to prepare them for the season ahead, "We had a really talented field with top-ten ranked teams in the country across all NCAA Divisions. It was great for our athletes to get experience and compete as nothing can affect them as they have raced against some of the best teams in the West."
   
William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).