The CSUN men’s and women’s cross country teams open the 2022 season at the UC Irvine Anteater Open. Running on the ARC Fields, the women’s 4k race will begin at 6 p.m. The men’s 6k event gets underway at 6:30 p.m.

In addition to the Matadors, scheduled to compete are California Baptist, Long Beach State, the San Diego State women’s team, and UC Irvine. Live stats to the meet will be available on GoMatadors.com.

MEN’S PREVIEW
The Matadors return four letter winners led by redshirt juniors Noah Contreras and James Moore. Contreras ran a personal best 8k time (24:31.4) at the 2021 Stump Invitational. He established a 10k personal-best by running 32:56.6 at the NCAA West Regional. He finished 37th at the Big West Championship (25:05.0).

Moore lowered his career bests in the 8k, 10k, and 4.97m during 2021. He dropped his career best in the 8k when he ran 25:27.4 at the Big West Championship. Moore ran 33:11.6 at the NCAA West Regional. He cut his 4.97m time to 26:51.1 at The Master’s Invitational.

True sophomores Daniel Rodriguez and Aaron Routh gained valuable experience a year ago. Rodriguez posted the top CSUN performance at The Master’s Invitational as he finished with a time of 25:08.2 as he came in 11th overall (a season-best finish). He placed 31st at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational as he went 24:45.7, the sixth quickest 8k time in school history. He recorded a time of 32:19.3 at the 10k NCAA West Regional which is the sixth fastest 10k time by a CSUN runner since 2000. Routh established his 8k best time of 30:14.3 at the Highlander Invitational. Routh finished 65th at the Big West Championship (30:34.0).

Joining the team this season are transfers Balmore Montes and Luis Silva, and freshmen Pablo Abrego, Cesar Cuevas, Atticus Hall, Ja’Patrick Smith, Kai Smith, and Camilo Torres.

Montes was a member of the cross country team at Santa Monica College from 2018-19 where he competed in the CCCAA Southern California Regionals in 2018 and 2019. Silva comes to CSUN from Moorpark College where he helped the team win the 2021 Western State Conference cross country title.

Abrego, a 2022 graduate of Granada Hills High School, finished 22nd in the 2021 LA City Finals after placing ninth at the 2021 LA City Prelims. Cuevas comes to CSUN from Highland High School in Palmdale where he finished 32nd at the 2021 CIF State Cross Country Championships after winning the Golden League Finals in a prep-best 5,000m time of 15:29.9.

Hall placed eighth at the 2021 CIF State Cross Country Championship in a 5000m prep best time of 15:37.6. He won the 2021 Ventura County Championships and finished sixth at the Marmonte League Finals as a senior. Hall won the 2021 CIF-SS Division Prelims in a 2.93-mile time of 15:41.1 and then posted a fifth-place finish at the 2021 CIF-SS Division Finals in a 2.93-mile prep best time of 15:17.7. Ja’Patrick Smith finished second in the Desert Sky League Finals as a senior, fifth as a junior, fourth as a sophomore, and seventh as a freshman for Victorville’s Silverado High School. The team won four league cross country titles during his prep career.

Kai Smith finished 68th at the 2021 CIF State Cross Country Championships in a 5000m prep best time of 16:30.2 for Torrance West High School. His team won the 2021 CIF Division 3 Championship and the 2021 Division 3 State Championship. Torres was named Ventura County Star first-team All-County, third-team CIF Division 4 All-State, Citrus Coast League Runner of the Year, first-team All-League, and first-team All-County as a senior for Fillmore High School. He placed 16th at the 2021 CIF State Cross Country Championship. Torres won the three-mile race at the 2021 CCL & TCAA Cross Country Finals and won a total of four races during his senior season.

WOMEN’S PREVIEW
Redshirt sophomore Leann Hamilton leads five returning letter winners for the Matador women. Hamilton recorded the top CSUN time at the NCAA West Regional, running 24:53.1 over the 6k course. She was the top finishing CSUN entry at the Big West Championship after running a season-best time of 23:59.8.

Junior Sonia Avila was the top finishing Matador at The 2021 Master’s Invitational as she posted a time of 19:51.7 on the 3.11m course. She set her 6k season-best of 24:06.9 at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational. Avila charted a time of 24:42.6 at the Big West Championship and ran 25:04.5 at the NCAA West Regional.

Senior Estefania De Los Santos competed in all five events for the Matadors last season, running a season-best 6k time of 25:37.2 at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational.

A pair of sophomores, Elin Markarian and Ouanessa Nana round out the returning letter winners. Markarian ran in 4-of-5 CSUN events as a freshman. She was the top finishing CSUN runner at the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational in a season-best 6k time of 23:46.7. Nana competed in all five CSUN events in 2021, posting a season-best 6k time at the NCAA West Regional as she went 25:45.1.

The Matadors welcome five newcomers to the program. Mariah Changco and Faith Mora arrive in Northridge from Hartnell College. The duo helped Hartnell win a pair of CCCAA NorCal championships and a second-place finish at the 2021 CCCAA State championship during their junior college career.

Torrie Freeman competed in the distance events for the CSUN track and field program last Spring and will run for the Matadors for the first time in cross country this Fall. Freeman finished 21st at the 2021 South Coast Conference Cross Country Championship for Mt. SAC.

Sophomore Nicole Contreras ran unattached as a true freshman in 2021. She finished 11th in the 2017 LA Championship for Kennedy High School. Contreras ran a three-mile prep best of 19:51.8 at the 2018 LA City Championship to place 19th. She was fifth in the 2018 Valley Mission League Finals and eighth at the 2019 Valley Mission League Finals.

Freshman Rachael Simpson enters the CSUN program from Notre Dame High School in Elmira High School. She competed for both the cross country and track teams in high school. She was second in the 800m at the 2022 Section IV Class C Championship and fourth in the 800m at the 2022 Section 4 State Qualifier. She earned first-team All-Conference honors in the 800m and 4x400m relay during the outdoor season as a senior.

THE SCHEDULE
After opening at UCI, the Matadors resume competition on Sept. 17 at the UC Riverside Invitational before traveling to Malibu for the Oct. 1 Pepperdine Waves Invite. The regular season concludes Oct. 15 at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational. UC Riverside will host the Oct. 29 Big West Championship. The NCAA Regional meet will be held on Nov. 11 on the Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash.

ACCORDING TO HEAD COACH JUSTIN JOHNSON
“I am looking forward to this season. We have a strong group of returns that are ready to take the step set in building a strong cross country program. You will see several new faces this year as well. Our newcomers will provide talent and depth to our program.”

“The Anteater Opener will allow us to get those competitive juices flowing again. We are utilizing this race to evaluate our strengths and weakness as we continue to prepare for the rest of the cross country season.”