Hartnell sweeps victories at season-opening Tour de Cuesta cross country meet

SAN LUIS OBISPO - Cuesta College hosted its season-opening Tour de Cuesta at neighboring Fairbanks Cross Country Course on August 22.  The host Cougars were joined by six colleges boasting a combined total of 77 harriers challenging the course.  Hartnell College enjoyed a strong opening to the season as they claimed the team title for both the men’s and women’s races.  The Panthers edged Saddleback, 30-26, in the women’s 5-kilometer race, while their men cruised to victory after landing five runners among the Top 10 finishers in their four-mile race.  Hartnell easily outpaced Runner-up San Joaquin Delta, 33-72, for the title. 

 

On the men’s side, Allan Hancock’s John Gutierrez cleared the course in a time of 22:25.4 to claim the Tour’s individual title, while Michael Pelaez (SJ Delta), Andrew Morales (SJ Delta), Gabriel Clemente (Hartnell) and Jorge Machuca (Unattached) all finished in the Top 5.  In the women’s event, DeAnza’s Siena Pignataro (pict), with a time of 21:28.9, broke the tape almost a minute ahead of Runner-up Isabella Efner, 22:17.5, of Cuesta.   Pignataro’s teammate Corinne Thelen took the Bronze, while Saddleback’s Kiana Zerehgar finished 4th and Hartnell’s Gabriela Cardenas finished 5th overall and was the first harrier to cross the line for Hartnell’s second team title of the day.