Complete results (PDF): Men | Women

SAN FRANICSCO – If the opening day of cross country competition is any indication for the strength of the San Francisco Dons squad, the season is sure to be marked by impressive performances for both the men and women.

"We are always happy to host the San Francisco Invitational on the opening weekend of the collegiate cross country season," said USF head coach Helen Lehman-Winters at its conclusion. "It's good for us to go out here in the park and run on a course that we're very familiar with, and it's a great way to start off the season and really give us a chance to evaluate where we are."

The USF women started the day with a resounding victory over some of the nation's top competitors, besting No. 7 Stanford and California, WCC squads from Pacific, Saint Mary's and Santa Clara, and other teams from across the region. The No. 20 Dons raced to the victory on the course at Golden Gate Park's Hellman Hollow, led by three women in the top 10 individual finishes – six in the top 20 – and a total team score of 41 points in the 6K distance.

Charlotte Taylor was the first Don to cross the line, completing the circuit in 20:52.4, to officially take third. The finish was a virtual dead heat between Taylor and Stanford runners Vanessa Fraser and Elise Cranny, whose times were 20:52.3.

"Charlotte's finally gotten six months of actual running underneath her, so she's looking really good and I think today was a good read on her fitness," noted Lehman-Winters. "She felt very comfortable and said afterwards, 'I feel like I could just keep going,' which is great, and we're excited for her to lead our team as we get deeper into the year."

USF senior Elena Burkard finished seventh, with a time of 21:15.5, closely followed by Tatjana Schulte's eighth place mark of 21:21.6. Another flurry of Dons quickly followed with Emma Stahr (12th – 21:32.5), Kelsey Nielsen (13th – 21:32.7), Daryl Phill (18th – 21:33.6) and Frederique Latraverse (22nd – 21:49.0) rounding out the USF competitors.

"Everybody really stepped it up and ran very controlled and got the season going in a positive way," added Lehman-Winters. "We're happy. We had a lot of women that we didn't run today that we know will factor into our team as we get deeper into the season, but the women that did run did a great job. We're a much improved team this year and we're excited for what's to come."

The men were next on the course, running in the 8K distance, and the Dons were again impressive in their second place finish. Alex Short rounded the loop in 24:25.4, trailing Cal's Trent Brendel and Robert Brandt.

"We wanted all of our men to run together for the first 4 to 6K and we had talked with Alex about if he felt pretty good he could go after 4K," explained Lehman-Winters. "He ran very much within himself today."

The rest of the scoring contingent for the Dons executed the team race plan, crossing in a pack. Ben Alcock (14th – 25:02.1), Mohamed Aziz (15th – 25:02.1), Edward Shepherd (16th – 25:03.0) and Ryan Driscoll 17th – 25:03.6) were all within a second of each other.

"I'm pleased with how our men ran today," said Lehman-Winters. "Our race plan was to run very, very controlled and be disciplined. To be honest they executed perfectly and I think it was an important starting point for us in working as a unit, as a pack, as we get into bigger meets."

The next meet for the Dons will come after a three-week training block. Then, USF will travel to the Roy Griak Invitational in Minneapolis, Minn., racing in Minneapolis, Minn., on Sept. 24.
 
 
USF Results:
WOMEN – 1st place; 41 points
3. Charlotte Taylor – 20:52.4 (3 pts)
7. Elena Burkard – 21:15.5 (7 pts)
8. Tatjana Schulte – 21:1.6 (8 pts)
12. Emma Stahr – 21:32.5 (11 pts)
13. Kelsey Nielsen – 21:32.7 (12 pts)
18. Daryl Phill – 21:33.6 (*17 pts)
22. Frederique Latraverse – 21:49.0 (*21 pts)
 
MEN – 2nd place; 57 points
3. Alex Short – 24:25.4 (3 pts)
14. Ben Alcock – 25:02.1 (12 pts)
15. Mohamed Aziz – 25:02.1 (13 pts)
16. Edward Shepherd – 25:03.0 (14 pts)
17. Ryan Driscoll – 25:03.6 (15 pts)
29. Caleb McClain – 25:22.7 (*24 pts)
81. Cristian Monsalud – 27:10.8 (*46 pts)
 
Alumni of note: Recent alumni Matt Leach '16 and Kate Jamboretz '16 both ran in the invitational. Leach, competing for Strava, took sixth individually with a time of 24:45.8. Running unattached, Jamboretz placed 10th, clocking in at 21:28.4.