SUNNYVALE, Calif. — Cal State Monterey Bay women's cross country delivered a strong performance at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational Saturday morning, placing ninth overall in a competitive 23-team field at Baylands Park.
 
Junior Rachel Hoops led the Otters in the women's 6-kilometer invitational, crossing the finish line in 21:32.9 to place 41st overall. Freshman Samantha Buttitta followed closely behind, finishing 45th in 21:36.8, giving Monterey Bay two runners among the top 45 finishers.
 
The Otters demonstrated impressive depth throughout their lineup, with their five scoring runners finishing within just 32.8 seconds of one another.
 
Freshman Dakota Keyworth was the third Otter across the line, placing 72nd in 21:57.3, while junior Angeline Gutierrez followed in 77th with a time of 22:01.4.
 
Senior Cozette Wood rounded out the scoring five, crossing the finish line in 22:05.7 to place 85th overall.
 
Monterey Bay totaled 284 points, finishing just five points ahead of Saint Mary's and placing ahead of several NCAA Division I programs, including Nevada, Pepperdine, Northern Colorado, Stanford, Long Beach State and Pacific.
 
The Otters' five scoring runners combined for a time of 1:49:14.11, averaging an impressive 21:50.82 per runner over the six-kilometer course.
 
Senior Daniela Munguia added a 97th-place finish in 22:14.2, while freshman Hannah Amundsen finished 105th in 22:22.3. Freshman Sidney Logsdon followed in 113th at 22:25.6, with senior Cassidy Andreadakis completing the Otter lineup in 147th at 23:03.5.
 
The race marked the final tune-up for the Otters before they compete in the CCAA Championship on Saturday, Nov. 7.