By Ron Smith
September 5, 2026
 
(LOMPOC, Calif.) Westmont Men's and Women's Cross Country started off the 2026 season by competing in the Gaucho Twilight hosted by UC Santa Barbara at the Mission Club Golf Course.
 
Competing against Division I teams, the women's 4,000 meter race was run first with Westmont finishing in fifth place with 143 points. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo won the event with just 17 points (two more than the minimum), UC Santa Barbara notched second with 49 points, Saint Mary's placed third with 79 points and Fresno State finished fourth with 115 points.
 
Freshman Sofia Hernandez of Santa Barbara was the first Westmont finisher, completing the course in a time of 14:36.0 to claim 25th place.
 
"Sofia had a good inaugural race," said Westmont's head coach Russell Smelley. "She competed hard and tried to go with the field. The team as a whole was actually solid. If they can continue to get fit and continue to move closer to the front, good prospects for the season."
 
Second across the line for Westmont was freshman Ruby Savage from Gig Harbor, Washington who posted a time of 15:22.7 and placed 43rd. Sophomore Lucie Pickering Pick placed 47th with a time of 15:53.3 followed by senior Adalyn Rodriguez in 48th place with a time of 16:01.9. The final scorer for Westmont was freshman Leia Larson, whose time of 16:04.6 netted her 50th place.
 
The men's 6,000 meter race followed with the Warriors claiming fourth place with 96 points. Cal Poly's men's team also scored 17 points to claim first place. The Mustangs placed eight runners in the top 10. UC Santa Barbara tallied 50 points to claim second and Fresno State scored 83 points to edge out the Warriors for third place.
 
Westmont freshman Phillip Contakes claimed 11th place, recording a time of 18:39.3.
 
"Phillip, running number one for the Warriors and chasing on the Cal Poly guys was really outstanding," assessed Smelley. "One through seven had a one-minute-and-four-second team spread, which was a strong performance for an opening meet."
 
Finishing second for Westmont was sophomore Hunter Skoglund in 23rd place with a time of 19:09.5.
 
"Hunter had an on-and-off-again race," noted Smelley. "When he recovered, he got himself back on pace. He did a good job of closing the gap and competing with the field."
 
Senior Luke Hein crossed the finish line in a time of 19:13.1 to claim 27th place and sophomore Kaeden Anderson took 30th place in a time of 19:19.7. Completing the scoring for the Warriors was William Covington who completed the course in 19:38.5 and in 36th place.
 
The Warriors will compete again on September 19 in the UC Riverside Invitational.