PUC Men’s Cross Country Opens Season at SF State Invitational

By Daniel Morales

The Pacific Union College men's cross country team launched its 2025 season on October 10th at the San Francisco State Invitational, held in Golden Gate Park. The meet featured teams from across California on a fast but demanding 8-kilometer course.

Leading the way for the Pioneers was junior Joaquin Verduzco, who crossed the line in 32:57.689, setting the tone for a young but determined squad. He was closely followed by sophomores Marc Tarango, who clocked 34:11.991, and Andrew Baluyot, who rounded out PUC's top three with a time of 34:19.192.

This season marks a period of transition for the Pioneers, who are fielding five new runners. Only Tarango and fellow sophomore James Park return from last year's squad. The team is under the direction of second-year head coach Pablo Garrido, who emphasized development and team unity in the early part of the season.

"The team is developing really well. All the new athletes are determined to get better everyday at our 6 am practices, which is very encouraging considering how hard it is to get college students to wake up at 5:30 am daily but they're driven. The rest of the season is looking bright and I look forward to seeing how our athletes will do at our next race."

While PUC didn't factor heavily in the team standings, Garrido said the focus remains on building experience, fitness, and chemistry over the course of the season.

The Pioneers will return to competition this Friday at the Pat Ryan Invitational in Santa Rosa, joining them will be the women's team who will race for the first official time this season.