The Master’s University cross country teams took home both individual wins at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on Saturday, Oct. 4 in Claremont.

Freshman Brogan Collins won the men’s race in 24:35 and Suzie Johnson took home the women’s crown with a 21:32 mark.

This is Johnson’s second win in a row as she took down the field at the TMUXC Invitational. She got to the lead with one mile left and never relinquished it, winning by four seconds. The team finished in fifth against several NCAA squads.

“It was a very tactical race, a lot of good competitors out there today,” Johnson said. “I knew I was going to stick on the shoulder of whoever was in first, and then see what the Lord would give me.”

Following Johnson, the Mustang ladies moved up well, dropping their score by over 50 points across the whole race. Alyssa Lovett (22:12) added a top-15 finish and Saige Miller (22:50) finished in 32nd despite the hilly terrain.

On the men’s side, TMU had two top-three finishes with Collins taking the win and Jack Anderson finishing third. Collins and Anderson have been tied at the hip this season, with several close finishes, and this one was similar with just 1.5 seconds separating the Mustangs’ 1-2 punch.

Collins started the race in 19th place, but was able to work up through the field to the front. His winning time of 24:35 was more than 20 seconds faster than the winner’s time in 2024.

Despite missing one of their scorers, the Mustang men’s depth shone with Emmanuel De Leon (25:04) finishing in 11th and Isaiah Fastrup (25:46) and freshman Elijah Rojas (25:49) finishing in 20th and 21st. TMU nabbed a second-place finish behind Cal Poly Pomona but defeated host Pomona-Pitzer handily, a perennial NCAA DIII powerhouse and 2023 DII national champs.

“I think today was the best race of the season for both teams,” Head Coach Daniel Rush said. “Our front runners stayed at the high level that they have been at while the rest of the team shortened the gap behind them.”

The Mustangs will be back in action Oct. 18 at the Highlander Invitational in Riverside.

For more information visit GoMustangs.com.