The Viking men's cross country team kicked off their 2016 season by participating in the Ventura Invitational in Ventura, CA on Friday. Long Beach placed ninth with a total team time of 2:15.14 en route en route to 222 points.
Sophomore Taylor Leon (Downey, CA) led a team of young runners by placing 31st overall with a time of 25:12.3 which was paced by an average mile time of 6:18.1. Four freshman made their collegiate debuts, as freshman Jesus Cortes (Los Angeles, CA) lead the newcomers with a time of 26:22.8 to earn him 50th place. The other times are as follows:
Freshman Alex Hoskins (Long Beach, CA) - 57th, 26:48
Sophomore Eric Arteaga (Long Beach, CA) - 62nd, 27:55
Freshman Isaac McKenzie (Bellflower, CA) - 68th, 28:56
Freshman Joseph Cho (Cypress, CA) - 84th, 35:13
Long Beach will continue on their 2016 campaign by participating in the Fresno Invitational on Saturday, September 10 at 10:30 a.m. in Woodward Park, CA.