MONMOUTH, OREG. - On Saturday, November 4th, the Sonoma State cross country team competed in the NCAA West Regional and earned themselves a 17th place finish, good for the program's best team finish at a regional since 2011. Head coach David Lawrence Jr. has now led his program to three straight top-20 finishes at the NCAA regional and he will add another feather to his cap as sophomore Gianna Bomarito earned an automatic qualifier to nationals, becoming the first SSU participant at nationals since 2001. 

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMERS

Bomarito made her second regional appearance of her SSU career and would not disappoint as she led a large portion of the race and would hold onto the third place spot, earning an automatic qualifier as an individual to nationals. She would record a 6k time of 20:50.3 and represent the top finisher from the CCAA. The time was not a personal best but Bomarito battled through the cold and wet conditions in Oregon to secure her spot and become just the second individual participant at nationals in program history. 

Seawolves cross country team records best @NCAADII regional finish since 2011 and Gianna Bomarito qualifies for nationals with a 3️⃣rd place finish! 😤🔥🔥 #NomaNation #Nationals @goccaa @USTFCCCA pic.twitter.com/anJLf6t7sW

— Sonoma State Seawolves (@SonomaSeawolves) November 4, 2023

First year runner Liliana Salado would be the team's next best finisher with a time of 22:54.6, breaking her previous season best that she set weeks prior at the CCAA Championships. Veteran Sophie Rodriguez would place just outside the top-100 with a time of 23:42.2 and teammate Abby Ribet would follow with a time of 24:03.6. Rounding out the team's finish were Loralye Clements and Maddy Petersen who place in consecutive order, Clements sneaking just under 25 minutes and Petersen just a second over the 25-minute mark. 
 

2023 NCAA West Regional | SSU Finishers
Gianna Bomarito	20:50.3	3rd
Liliana Salado	22:54.6	74th
Sophie Rodriguez	23:42.2	103rd
Abby Ribet	24:03.6	118th
Loralye Clements	24:59.1	139th
Maddy Petersen	25:01.1	140th
*Bomarito automatic qualifier for Nationals

LOOKING AHEAD  

Gianna Bomarito will continue her season and represent Sonoma State at the NCAA National Championships on Saturday, November 18th. Full race information and live results can be found at sonomaseawolves.com. 

Be sure to follow your Seawolves on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to get all the latest SSU athletics updates and information. Sonoma State athletics also has launched a new fan app in partnership with From Now On. Download the free app today in both the Apple and Google Play stores by searching Sonoma State Seawolves in the app store. @SonomaSeawolves | #NomaNation