The good ship Thunderbird set sail for Walnut California this weekend. Captains, Samantha Meyerhoff and Justin Royer led their crews into battle and returned home with a booty of treasures.

The ladies were first to tackle the notoriously difficult hills of Mt San Antonio College and their task wasn't made any easier with a field of 40 teams and almost 300 runners to contend with. Hailey Hanna made light of the conditions to finish in the top 10, posting a highly creditable 18:56. "It was the best experience," said Hanna. "Right up there with Nationals. It's so exciting to feel good after such a tough course." It took strong efforts from team-mates Samantha Meyerhoff, Ann Bawden, Melissa Peters and Erin Norris to hold off a strong challenge from AZ rivals Pima. The result was good enough to earn a 3rd place team finish for the Thunderbirds.

Abdi Ismail has led the MCC men in all races this year, but an over eager start cost the freshman runner dearly on the second half of the race. "I was afraid I might get trapped at the back of the field so I ran faster than I should have at the beginning". Coach Eamonn Condon felt it was a great learning opportunity for Ismail: "We don't often get a chance to compete against a field of over 300 runners. Abdi can use this experience to run a much smarter race at Nationals". Justin Royer ran a more measured effort and was rewarded with a satisfying 22:50 on the mountainous 4 mile course.

Women's Results

Men's Results