SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — Cal State Monterey Bay opened the 2026 cross country season with an impressive showing Saturday morning at the Coyote Challenge, highlighted by a third-place finish from the Otter women and a pair of top-five individual performances at the CSUSB XC Course.

"I am so proud of the student-athletes' performances today," CSUMB head coach Greg Rhines said. "We started our season earlier than usual, and yet they still showed up and knocked down some doors. I think a season like no other is before us."
 
Junior Rachel Hoops led the way with a runner-up finish in the women's 6K, while freshman Dakota Keyworth made an immediate impact in her collegiate debut by finishing fifth overall.
 
CSUMB finished with 58 points to tie Claremont-Mudd-Scripps for second in the team scoring before the Athenas earned the tiebreaker. Cal Poly Pomona won the 14-team competition with 27 points.
 
The Otters placed five scoring runners among the top 20 and seven runners among the top 26, displaying impressive depth in their first race of the fall.
 
Hoops wasted little time establishing herself at the front of the CSUMB lineup. The junior covered the 6K course in 21:19.6 to finish second overall, just 5.7 seconds behind individual champion Miranda Palacios of CPP.
 
Keyworth provided one of the day's biggest performances for Monterey Bay. Making her collegiate cross country debut, the freshman finished fifth in 21:28.1, giving CSUMB two runners among the first five across the line. Her finish marked a new freshman school record that has been held since Jessie McIntire (2013). 
 
Junior Angeline Gutierrez was next for the Otters, placing 15th in 21:45.9. Another newcomer followed closely behind as Samantha Buttitta finished 17th in 21:48.5, while freshman Sidney Logsdon completed the scoring five by placing 19th in 21:49.9.
 
Just 30.3 seconds separated CSUMB's first and fifth scorers, providing an encouraging early indication of the Otters' depth.
 
Junior Deia Kerseg-Foreman followed in 20th at 21:50.4, giving CSUMB six runners among the first 20 finishers. Senior Cozette Wood crossed in 21:58.0 to place 26th.
 
The CSUMB men opened their campaign with a sixth-place finish in the 13-team men's 8K. Senior Angel Arciniega led the Otters, crossing in 26:06.6 to place 25th overall and score 24 team points.
 
Junior Erik Bromley was right behind him, finishing 27th overall in 26:10.9. Senior Jake Walton was CSUMB's third finisher, placing 38th in 26:26.6, while freshman Oren Hill delivered a solid collegiate debut with a 45th-place finish in 26:40.4.
 
Another freshman, Nathan Cazares, completed the Otters' scoring five in 49th at 26:47.3.The five combined to give Monterey Bay 166 points, just two behind fifth-place Concordia Irvine and two ahead of seventh-place Redlands.
 
The Otters will return to the trail on Saturday, Sept. 19 when they compete at the UCR Invitational that will be held at the familiar UCR Ag Ops Course.