Falcons Cross country runner, Munir Kahssay, out-kicked the competition at the Orange Coast So Cal Preview in Costa Mesa on Sept. 15, finishing first overall in the four-mile flat course with a time of 20 minutes, 38 seconds.

Karina Sanchez,Cerritos College’s top female runner, also finished fourth with a time of 19:17 in the 3.1 mile course.

Consistent finishes from all team members lead to Cerritos College taking second in the men’s team competition and fourth in the women’s despite harsh 100 degree temperatures that sent several athletes, including a Cerritos College runner, to the hospital to be treated for heat related injuries.

As many as 70 percent of Cerritos College athletes set new personal records on the course at Fairview Park, according to assistant coach Daniel Ozan.

“Our team is deep this year,” Ozan said. “It’s exciting to see people improve. It gives them the confidence to take on the big dogs.”

The team went into the meet with the strategy of running the first half of the race together as a group, then each individual would give a max effort to finish the race.

In the men’s competition, Cerritos stuck to the game plan which left the team around the 50th position.

At mile two, Kahssay found his pace and began passing competitor after competitor. By mile three, he was in first place. Kahssay finished two seconds faster than second place finisher Luis Luna from American River College.

“I felt really good running next to my team,” Kahssay, who was born in Anaheim but raised in Ethiopia, said. “I picked it up a little bit but I didn’t expect to win. I’m pretty happy with the result.”

In the women’s race, Sanchez ran a pace 10 seconds faster than her group but she could not catch Glendale’s Gra Graham-Zamudio, who finished first in 18:48.

“I don’t like (19 minute) finishes, but I’m satisified because it’s a personal record from last year,” Sanchez said.

While cross country was successful at the meet, Ozan added that the team used it more as practice than as a race. The meet was preparation for the Lou Vasquez Invitational in San Fransisco this weekend, where Cerritos College looks to size themselves up against defending state champions American River College.

“We are finding good success by focusing on the races that count,” Ozan said. “The men’s team looks really good so we want to get after the (state champs).”

Men’s and women’s cross country will compete in their next meet on 9/20 at the Lou Vasquez Invitational in San Fransisco.