FRESNO, CALIF.- It was an early morning for Sonoma State's Women's Cross Country team as they competed in the third annual Seawolf Invitational. Head coach David Lawrence Jr. unleashed a young team featuring four freshman runners. The result? A dominant showing by the Seawolves that saw five runners finish in the top 10 including an impressive individual victory from Constance O'Neal. Despite the heat and solid competition, it could not have been a better start to the 2024 season for coach Lawrence's squad!

Leading the way not just for her team but the entire field was Constance O'Neal. A force for the Seawolves on the track, O'Neal brought her talents to the cross country course and made a statement. She would finish the five kilometer course (roughly 3.1 miles) in 18:03.03. She was 30 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor highlighting just how dominant she was.

Finishing second overall was freshman Makenzie Kordic. The Palos Verdes native impressed in her collegiate debut with a strong 18:33.43 mark. If this is the starting point for her time with Sonoma State, fans of the team should be excited to watch her season long development. 

Finishing just behind her fellow freshman Sammy Ebell would secure a fourth place spot running 18:42.39. She would only finish four seconds behind Academy of Art junior Grace Southern and competed through the finish line giving Sonoma three top five finishers on the day. 

Rounding out the Seawolves top five finishers was the duo of senior captain Sophie Rodriguez and freshman Scarlett Riddle. Rodriguez has been a staple for Sonoma State and kicks off her final collegiate season with a strong ninth place finish thanks to a 19:01.03 final time. As one of two seniors on this young squad, Rodriguez will be counted on to not only help lead the team on the course but off of it as well. Riddle was stride for stride with her upperclassmen teammate till the final few seconds of the race, crossing the finish line in 19:04.84. She would claim 10th place giving the team five of the top 10 final spots. 

The team's sixth and seventh runners also put together solid performances on the day. Angeline Gutierrez, another freshman, put together a solid race finishing 28th overall out of a field featuring 74 athletes. As a young runner this is a great starting point to develop alongside her fellow underclassmen. This quartet of freshmen just put the cross country landscape on notice. With Kordic leading the way thanks to averaging five minutes and 58 seconds per mile. Lastly, senior Abby Ribet also posted a top 30 finish while completing the course in 20:23.14. 

Overall, it was an outstanding day for the team inside Woodward Park. Fueled by both a strong team and individual performances, Sonoma State Cross Country will look to make some serious noise as the season progresses. As for now, the team will enjoy their hard earned victory while also turning their attention to the  Greeno/Dirksen Invite in Nebraska on September 21st! Congratulations on a well earned win!