By Jacob Norling
September 23, 2023
 
(SANTA CLARITA, Calif.) Westmont's Men's and Women's Cross Country was back in action on Saturday in Santa Clarita, where the Warriors competed with several rivals at The Master's Invitational. Team wise, Westmont's men finished in seventh of 22 schools competing, while the women came in ninth of 16.
 
The individual story of the day was the performance of Westmont's Zola Sokhela, who competed in his first race since being named PacWest Runner of the Week earlier this month. On Saturday, the reigning individual GSAC Champion was challenged by both the Warriors', and his own, most common rival, The Master's Mustangs. Three Mustangs finished in the top five, but the race came down to Sokhela and Jack Anderson of The Master's, who both came in almost 10 seconds ahead of the third-place finisher.
 
With his final kick that fans have grown accustomed to seeing around the final 200 meters of an 800, this time those in attendance got to see Sokhela's dash in the final straight away at Central Park. It became clear as the two men neared the finish line that Sokhela had inched ahead, and as he crossed the finish line, the Warrior hung his arms in the air in celebration.
 
With an 8K time of 24:08.2, Sokhela became the individual champion at The Master's Invitational, beating Anderson who finished with a time of 24:08.7.
 
"This race was personal for me," revealed Sokhela. "The fitness was showing in training, and we were in a good mental space as a team. All I had to do was execute my race plan, which played really well with the course we had. A flat 8K course in a playground for me, and I definitely played toward my strengths.
 
"Coach Smelley and I had been talking throughout the week that I have to be patient 'till the end, and make the last decisive move. That's exactly what I did. Winning 0:00.8 is closer than I would've liked, but it also shows the patience that I had.
 
"Overall, I'm very pleased and it's only a step in the right direction. I'm content, but not satisfied."
 
Behind Sokhela, junior transfer Bryce Gardhouse turned in another stellar race, this time finishing in 23rd place with a time of 24:57.3. The next Warrior to finish was Ryan Daedler in 65th place (25:52.0), followed by Thomas Reed in 71st (25:57.5). Rounding out Westmont's top-five finishers was Luke Hein, who came in 84th place with a time of 26:08.2.
 
In the women's 5K, Anneline Breytenbach was Westmont's best finisher as the captain came in 44th place with a time of 23:11.7. Behind Breytenbach, Gretchen Scherrei finished in 62nd (24:41.3), and Dulce Esquival finished in 73rd (23:54.0). Westmont's fourth and fifth runners were Miriam Melkonian in 74th (23:58.7), and Molly Sandridge in 85th (24:15.1).
 
The Warriors will return to competition on October 7 in Claremont, where they will compete at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational.