By: Hope Hensley
September 19, 2026
RIVERSIDE, Calif. — The Westmont Warriors men's and women's cross country teams continued their fall campaign on Saturday morning at the UC Riverside Invitational at the UCR Ag Ops Course. Competing in a deep field featuring Division I, II, III, and NAIA competition, both squads delivered strong team performances led by standout first-year runners.
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Race Breakdown
In the Men's Invite 8K, first-year runner Phillip Contakes paced the Warriors for the second straight meet, navigating the 8K course in 24:56.4 to finish 83rd overall. Sophomores Kaeden Anderson and William Covington followed close behind, both recording lifetime personal records in the 8K distance. Anderson crossed the line in 25:11.7 (107th overall), while Covington posted a time of 25:28.6 (139th overall). Seniors Luke Hein (25:47.4) and Tyler Allan (25:58.8) rounded out the Warriors' scoring five as Westmont accumulated 597 points in the team standings
The Women's Open 5K saw the Warrior women take 10th place in the team standings with 301 points, showing clear progress from their season opener. First-year Sofia Hernandez led the way with a top-10 finish, placing 9th overall in a field of nearly 300 runners with a time of 18:09.8. Classmate Ruby Savage was the second Warrior across the line, placing 65th overall at 18:52.9. Senior Adalyn Rodriguez (19:13.8), sophomore Lucie Pickering Pick (19:16.5), and first-year Leia Larson (19:24.9) closed the gap for Westmont's scoring top five, keeping the pack tightly grouped.
Cross Country / Track & Field Assistant Coach Lindsey Connolly:
"Overall, it was a good race for the men's team in their first 8K of the season, and we are feeling satisfied with their performance. First-year Phillip Contakes once again led the way, and behind him, Kaeden Anderson and Will Covington both ran 8K PRs. They are making gains both physically in their racing and mentally in how they approach it.
"For the women in the open 5K, it was a good progression for the team in terms of performance. The first-years were once again standouts, led by Sofi Hernandez finishing ninth overall, followed by Ruby Savage. Overall, the team performance improved from our first race and our top five are running closer together. Both races are very encouraging for what is to come the remainder of the season."
Westmont Team ResultsÂ
Men's Invite (8K) - 24th Place (597 points)
Women's Open (5K) - 10th Place (301 points)Â
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