RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Entering the season with only four women running under 21 minutes in program history, Fresno State had two join that list on Saturday morning at the Riverside Invitational. Chiara Pedol and Khushleen Khakh moved up to No. 3 and No. 5 on the program's list in the 6k.
Pedol led the Bulldogs at the UCR Ag Ops Course with a time of 20:44.8, finishing 33rd overall. Three weeks after opening her collegiate career with the 23rd-ranked time in program history, the freshman from Chies d'Alpago, Italy dropped more than a minute off her time from San Francisco.
Finishing with a time of 20:57.0, Khakh finished 45th overall. The sophomore took 56 seconds off her previous best which she posted during the season opener and jumped from 19th to fifth all-time on the program's list.
Making her first appearance of the year was senior Corie Smith who finished at 21:44.3. Also moving into the program's Top 25 on Saturday was Diana Cortes. The junior moved to 22nd on the list at 21:56.3.
Christian Santana led the Bulldog men in the open 8k. The senior finished with a personal best time of 26:02.6.
NOTES
Chiara Pedol and Khushleen Khakh became the first Bulldog teammates to run under 21 minutes in the same season.
Pedol is only the second freshman in program history to run under 21 minutes, joining Sydney Fox (2018) who she passed by two seconds on Saturday.
Pedol's 20:44.8 is the fastest time by a Bulldog since Elena Miezava ran 20:35.8 on Sept. 18, 2021 at the UCR Invitational.
With the addition of Cortes, eight women on the Bulldogs' current roster have 6k times in the program's Top 25.
UP NEXT
Fresno State will return to Southern California on Oct. 5 for The Master's University XC Invitational in Santa Clarita.