The CSUN men and women’s cross country teams finished in the bottom half of their events on Saturday at the UC Riverside Invitational. The men finished 21 out of 29 and the women finished 16 out of 20.

The Matadors competed in the men’s 8k Run and the women’s 6k Run.

The men’s team finished with a combined 566 points. Sophomore Michael Merchan led the way with a 71st place finish and a time of 25 minutes and 25 seconds flat, tallying 64 points.

Junior Charlie Nettles finished the race in 140th place with a time of 26:11.1, racking up 107 points of the men’s team in a race that featured 392 runners.

The women’s team finished with a score of 404 points, as senior Rachael Nauman finished in 42nd place to lead the Matador’s with a time of 21:25.8 seconds.

Senior Rachael Duriez crossed the finish line with a time of 22:15.2 for the woneb, good enough for 70 points and a 78th place finish.

Last year both men’s and women’s squads finished
in the top 15 of the event. The next event for both teams will be held at the
Haggin Oaks Golf Course at the Sacramento State Invitational. The meet is Saturday, October 1 at 7:30 a.m.