SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 27 ranked Cal Poly Pomona women's cross country team put together a dominant performance at the Cougar Challenge on Saturday morning, capturing the team title with 33 points to narrowly beat out Point Loma (38 points).
 
Leading the charge was redshirt sophomore Miranda Palacios, who placed third overall with a time of 21:16.7 and an average mile of 5:42, ranking seventh and 11^th best in program history, respectively. A trio of Broncos came in close behind Palacios, including: Vivian Martinez (5th, 21:23.5), Galilea Jimenez (6th, 21:26.7), and Jade Kingston (9th, 21:31.6) – all three of which also rank in the Top 25 fastest 6K times in program history.
 
The scoring was sealed by Chloe Alchin, finishing 14th overall (21:37.5), giving Cal Poly Pomona five runners in the Top 15 of the race.
 
The Broncos' depth proved to be the difference, as Alondra Arias (19th, 21:52.8) and Milca Osorio (20th, 21:53.0) provided critical displacement against Point Loma's back end to help CPP maintain the lead.
 
Beyond the scoring five, CPP showcased remarkable team strength with more runners under 23 minutes, including Ali Holtzen (32nd, 22:07.3), Shelby Ortega-Hufana (33rd, 22:08.2), and Lizeth DePaz (35th, 22:09.0). In total, 10 Broncos finished in the Top 40, easily making them the deepest squad in the field.
 
Cal Poly Pomona's ability to pack their top five within 21 seconds of each other was the key to their team title. Palacios' top-three finish provided the low stick, while the tight group of Martinez, Jimenez, Kingston, and Alchin gave the Broncos the edge.
 
 
Up Next
The Broncos will race at the Master's Invitational next Saturday, September 20^th, in Santa Clarita.
 
 
Bronco Bits

• The Broncos currently have an 8-0 record this season. A "win" is a team they finished ahead of, while a "loss" is teams they finished behind.
• Head coach Chris Bradford's teams have a 486-210 record since 2017.
• This is the ninth time CPP women's cross country has won a race since Bradford became head coach in 2017.
• This was the sixth time the Broncos have competed in San Marcos, and their first time ever winning the Cougar Challenge.
• Nine freshman made their collegiate debut on Saturday, including Ali Holtzen, Natalie Conde, Ava Holtzen, Emily Conde, Ainsley Paulson, Samantha Contreras, Emily Howard, Jenna MacLennan, Lizeth DePaz.