The Master’s University cross-country teams continued successful 2024 campaigns with strong finishes at the BIOLA Invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton.

Senior captains Connor Ybarra and Hannah Fredericks grabbed individual wins in the 8,000 meter and the 5,000 meter competitions, respectively, with the women’s team finishing first and the men’s team coming in second.

Hannah Fredericks led the TMU women with a first place finish of 17:03 over the 5,000 meter distance. Senior Ellen Palmgren finished in a close second in 17:11, giving the Mustangs a strong 1-2 punch. TMU continued to pack runners into the top 10 with Suzie Johnson (17:40) in sixth and Emma Nelson (17:43) in eighth.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity the Lord gave me today to execute what Coach Rush had asked us to do, which was to wait to pass people until we’re ready to be in front of them for good,” Palmgren said. “Praise be to God! My race was such a blessing.”

The Mustang women defeated BIOLA by nine points and BIOLA was ranked 15th in the NCAA DII preseason Coaches’ Poll.

The men’s team got off to a strong start on the hilly 8,000 meter course, with the Mustangs holding a perfect score of 15 points through the first mile. Host school BIOLA eventually overtook TMU, but the Mustang men finished 1-2, with Connor Ybarra (24:26) and Jack Anderson (24:26). Domenic Ghiorso finished seventh overall with a breakout performance of 24:46. This was a personal best of more than 20 seconds.

“I’m grateful for the race today and a good opportunity to practice working together with my teammates during the race,” Ybarra said. “I pray that God was glorified and am thankful for the chance our team got to point to Christ.”

Cedar Collins (24:56) and Nate Day (24:57) rounded out the scoring for the Mustangs, finishing in 11th and 12th place. This was a 21-second personal best for Collins and a 15-second personal best for Day.

The Mustangs will travel to Columbia, Mo. to compete in the Larry Brown Invitational on Sept. 20. This meet will preview the NAIA National Championships course and will pit the Mustangs against top NAIA competition.