SUNNYVALE, Calif. --- It's already time for the second-to-last regular season cross country meet of the season. It still seems as if things are just getting underway, but this week's Santa Clara Bronco Invitational is the last meet, typically, where Head Coach Sean Henning will run a full squad and compete before the Nov. 2 PacWest Conference Championships. Needless to say, it's a big weekend.

THIS WEEK: Santa Clara Bronco Invitational - Baylands Regional Park (Sunnyvale, Calif.) - Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 at 8:45 a.m. (men's invitational 8k first - Biola will run in four races)

SANTA CLARA BRONCO INVITATIONAL: Saturday Oct. 13 at 8:45 a.m. \\ Live Results
This meet will have four parts as there is a men's 8k invitational, women's 6k invitational, men's open 8k and women's open 6k. Biola will have runners competing in all four different races, with enough for a team score in all but the women's invitational. Clara Haynes and Mackenna mason will compete in that 6k race as individuals. The invitationals come first with an 8:45 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. scheduled start. The opens are next, men's and then women's at 10:15 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. This is the first time Biola will compete at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational since 2015. The meet is filled with NCAA Division I competition, with a handful of division II teams mixed in. The invitationals includes Biola, Chico State and Stanislaus State from the West Region. The open races include a lot more NCAA Division II foes and PacWest members with Fresno Pacific, Dominican, Hawaii Pacific, Holy Names and Notre Dame de Namur all in the field. When Biola last competed at the Bronco Invitational the men placed fifth and the women first (among non-Division I teams). Kaili Waller and Emily Ransom both finished in the top-7 for BU in that meet. Ryan Thompson and Christian Perez finished top-7 for the men.

MEET ENTRIES

NOTE: There is no charge for admission. Parking is $6 per car and $20 per bus in the Baylands Park lot. Those attending are encouraged to park in the Baylands lot, not in a lot for any of the local businesses near the park.

ABOUT LAST MEET: The last time these Eagles were out competing was at The Master's University Mustang Invitational. The men finished first and the women third during another outstanding weekend for BU. Jared Donnel and Gabe Plendcio were both honored by the PacWest Conference for their performances that week. Plendcio once again won runner of the week and Donnel earned another freshman of the week award. All of Biola's top-5 on the women's side set their new top time at the TMU Mustang Invitational, led by Mackenna Mason's 17:58.8. The team also had its best team 5k time of the season at 1:32:40. The men's side also set a new top team time at the TMU meet with a 2:07:54 and four of the top-5 men set a new season-best, led by the event winner, Gabe Plendcio (24:52.1).

NCCAA TOP TIMES: There's finally been some mixing up near the top of the National Christian College Athletic Association top times report. The Eagles had held onto the top spot all season long, but a good weekend on the men's side from Cedarville (Ohio) helped the Yellow Jackets take over the team time lead (2:04:55). The Yellow Jackets also took over the top-2 individual times and pushed Plendcio to third. Cedarville's top runner this year ran a 24:24.0 at the All-Ohio Championships two weeks ago. The Biola women's team has about a minute-and-a-half advantage in the team time lead, thanks to its 1:32:40 from the TMU Invitational. Cedarville is second on the women's side with a 1:34:10. Mackenna Mason is second in the NCCAA in individual times, only behind Emmanuel's Makayla Hewell. Hewell ran a time about 20 seconds faster than Mason at a meet back on Sept. 9.

NEXT EVENT: CSU Fullerton Titan Invite - CSU Fullerton Campus (Placentia, Calif.) - Friday, Oct. 19, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. (5k first).