CHICO, Calif. — Cal State East Bay men's cross country closed out the CCAA Championships with a seventh-place team finish on Saturday morning, led by Matthew Morgon, who cracked the top 20 with a fantastic performance.
Morgon clocked a time of 25:05.9 over the 8K course at Hooker Oak Park, finishing 19th overall. His time ranks as one of the best performances in program history, ranking 8th all-time in the 8k. The time also ranked as Morgan's second fastest 8k of his career and the second best time for any Pioneer at the CCAA Championships in program history.
Behind Morgon, Christopher Valderrama was the team's second scorer in 41st place with a time of 26:56.0, followed closely by Joaquin McGee in 42nd at 26:57.8. Brandon Simpson (44th, 27:06.5) and Phillip Logan (52nd, 27:29.4) rounded out the scoring five for the Pioneers, giving East Bay a total of 198 points and a combined team time of 2:13:36.
John Funderburg (27:32.9) and Mark Velasquez (28:24.2) provided additional depth as the Pioneers' sixth and seventh runners.
Defending champion Chico State reclaimed the conference title with 30 points, while Cal Poly Pomona (36) and Cal State San Marcos (73) completed the podium.
With the CCAA meet now complete, the Pioneers will shift their focus to the upcoming NCAA West Regional Championships in Monmouth, Oregon on November 8.
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