Canyons Cross Country Ready for Return Trip to Fresno

Story and photo by Mari Kneisel/COC Sports Information   

College of the Canyons will continue its run into the postseason at the CCCAA Cross Country State Championship meet on Saturday, Nov. 19 at Woodward Park in Fresno. 

The women's team qualified for the state championships after finishing seventh at the CCCAA Southern California Championships.

COC sophomore Milca Osorio (18:54.1) crossed the line first for the Cougars once again, placing 14th in the field of 137 runners. Osorio has previously finished fifth at the Western State Conference (WSC) Championships on Oct. 21 to lead Canyons.

Osorio is joined by sophomore teammates Maylani Perez and Trinity Winslow as Cougars who have previously competed at the state championships. The trio was part of the Canyons squad that finished ninth at the 2021 state meet as freshman Danielle Salcedo won an individual state championship, the first in COC women's cross country program history. Salcedo holds the program record for the 5K course at Woodward Park with a time of 17:54.9

In 2021 Osorio finished 40th overall with a time of 20:00.2, Maylani Perez clocked a 22:45.8 and Trinity Winslow ran a 21:19. This season Osorio's times are running nearly a minute faster compared to her freshman campaign, while Perez has improved by an average of nearly 2:30. All three runners posted personal record times at the regional championships.

This year's trip to Fresno will mark the eighth time in program history the women's team has advanced to the state championships (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022). 

COC's women's team has yet to win a state title with its closest run coming in 2014 as the Lady Cougars finished runner-up. That same season the Cougars' men program won the CCCAA State Championship.

The Cougars' men's team won't be making the trip to Fresno this year, however freshman Sam Regez qualified to compete as an individual with his time of 22:03.6 at the SoCal Championships.

The women's race will begin at 10 a.m. with the men's four-mile event to follow at 11 a.m. 

Saturday's forecast in Fresno calls for clear skies with morning temperatures in the 50's, with a high of 65 and very light winds from the south. 

Stay up to date on all this season's action by following the College of the Canyons Athletic department on social media at @COCathletics on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.