T-Bird Cross Country comes up short at ACCAC Championships

Sunday September 29, 2024 - 9:00 a.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

Mesa Cross Country came up short on Friday as both the men and women took home second place finishes at the ACCAC Championships.

Men's Cross Country:

The T-Bird men were unable to defend their title as they came up just short against rival Paradise Valley. The top 10 was dominated by both T-Birds and Pumas. PVCC had athletes finish in 1st, 2nd, 5th, 8th, and 10th place. 

For Mesa Nick Valle finished in 3rd (27:10), Jorge Trujillo took 4th (27:15), Corbin Plye came in 6th (27:28), Sebastian Washkevich took 7th (27:35), and Caden Hardison finished in 9th (27:44).

Women's Cross Country:

The Lady T-Birds inched closer to the conference clown compared to last year but still were unable to take home the hardware finishing behind rival Paradise Valley.

Similar to the men's race, the top 10 in the women's contest was dominated by Mesa and PVCC, unfortunately for Mesa the Pumas took four of the first five top spots.

Lucy Melzer was the first T-Bird to cross the finish line coming in 5th (19:44), Katie Munoz took 7th (19:46), Regina Raimo finished 8th (19:47), Kinley Jackson came in 9th (20:08),  Marissa Hernandez finished 10th (20:10).

Head coach Daniel Pescaodor and staff are a bit disappointed in the team's finish, but know that these situations create learning opportunities and the ability to grow.

"The woman ran okay, not our best day. They started out a little fast, when it wasn't necessary to do that. For the men, we got a little too spread out in the race, and that was the difference in losing by 3 points. It was a good learning experience and humbling race for both of our groups," said Pescador. 

Mesa will be back in action on Oct. 5 as they compete in the George Young Invite.

Click here to view the full Men's results.

Click here to view the full Women's results.