CERES, Calif. – It was a late night for the Warriors on Saturday, as Jessup took part in the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational, hosted by Stanislaus State. With races not getting underway until after 9 p.m., Saturday ends on a good note for the Jessup Cross Country programs.
 
First up was the women's 6k, which got underway nearly 30 minutes after its scheduled 8:30 p.m. start time.
 
"Very unique racing here in the complete dark, under the lights," said head coach Jeff Magley on the late start. "For most of our athletes, this was their first time ever in that situation to run entirely at night, in the dark, with a full moon and under the lights. It was a cool experience."
 
Once the starter's gun sounded, it was a familiar face leading the pack as Azalea Prince crossed the finish line first for the Warriors. Prince ran the 6k at a mark of 23:49, 30 seconds over the PR she set in 2021 at the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational.
 
"It's always great to have a top-ten finish against NCAA competition," commented Magley on Prince's showing.
 
The lone PR for the Warriors came from Lacy Ceremony, who raced for the first time this season. Ceremony's mark of 26:03 is a 13-second improvement from the time she, too, posted in Santa Clara last season.
 
Others in the field for the Jessup women were Haley Borjas (25:00), Elizabeth Shykowski (25:36), and Vivianna Gardea (27:41).
 
On the rest of the women's team, Magley added, "It was great to see Haley Borjas push up to the number two spot this year. That's her first time in that spot for our team this year. It was also great to have Lacy Ceremony back, making her senior debut for us as our number four runner."
 
Next on the course was the men's 8k, starting around 9:30 Saturday evening.
 
The Warriors ran in a pack in Saturday's finale, with Luciano Linares (28:57), Noah Classen (29:01), Zachary Heberlien (29:11), and Jonathan Conklin (29:41) each finishing in order from 34th to 37th position. For Conklin, the time is a new PR, besting his previous best by 27 seconds, set in Rocklin last October.
 
"It was really nice to see Noah and Zach work together as our number three and four runners," added Magley. "They made big improvements from our last race, especially for Zach, who struggled in his debut, to bounce back today."
 
Leading the Jessup men was Logan Dodge with a time of 28:27. Others in the field were Xavier Morales (30:28), Josh Spiva (30:32), and Ethan Loomis (31:46).
 
With two races under their belt, Jessup now gets to shift their focus to the first of three races they will run in Rocklin this season. In two weeks, Jessup will host the Jessup Invitational on their on-campus cross country course.
 
On the home race, Magley concluded by stating, "We're excited to get back to training, and then our next meet is our home Jessup Invitational. We're looking forward to being back on our home course in a couple of weeks."
   
William Jessup University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), and the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). For additional information regarding Jessup Athletics, visit www.jessupathletics.com; visit www.jessup.edu for more information on William Jessup University. Follow Jessup Athletics on social media: William Jessup University Athletics (Facebook) and @JessupAthletics (Twitter & Instagram).