DVC’s men’s and women’s cross country teams had successful finishes in the Big 8 Championship race last Friday, Oct. 26.

The men nabbed third place and the women took fourth place in the race at Hidden Valley Park in Martinez. “The guys definitely met my expectations. I was hoping the girls would finish second or third, but they still did very well,” said coach Shelly Pierson.

Individual performances were strong as well. Half of the women set personal course records, led by Carmen Martinez, All-Conference First Team, with a time of 20:22 and Kate Sallstrom, All-Conference Second Team, with a time of 20:34. Martinez and Sallstrom took seventh and ninth overall respectively.

A few men set personal bests as well, led by two All-Conference Second Team runners. Eric Brooks had a time of 24:03 and Dylan Winn finished one second behind him at 24:03. Brooks and Winn placed 13th and 14th, respectively.

Coach Pierson was very happy with her teams’ performances, especially the individual improvements. “Conference is a really good opportunity for them to shine,” Pierson said. She acknowledged that some runners weren’t satisfied with their races, but said that they “haven’t had too many bad days. Some weren’t too happy with their times, but it happens.”

Pierson said the increased pressure makes for tougher races, and her team has stepped up to the challenge.

The team are now preparing for the NorCal Championships this Saturday, Nov. 3, and the State Championships on Nov. 17.