TURLOCK, Calif.--- Nationally ranked No. 14 and coming off its second consecutive Kim Duyst Twilight team championship, the Stan State women's cross country team will look to continue its strong start to the 2026 season this Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Bronco Invitational hosted by Santa Clara University at Baylands Regional Course in Sunnyvale.

Under the direction of head coach Darren Holman, the Warriors will make their final regular-season appearance before turning their attention to the CCAA Championships in November. Stan State will be competing for the first time since Sept. 12, with the Women's Invitational scheduled for 9:30 a.m. and the Women's Open set for 11 a.m. The men's races are scheduled for 8:45 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.

Second in the West Region
Stan State enters the Bronco Invitational ranked second in the latest U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) NCAA Division II West Region rankings. The Warriors have held the No. 2 position for five consecutive weeks.

Chico State leads the West Region rankings, followed by Stan State, Biola, Western Washington and Central Washington. Stan State is one of four CCAA programs among the region's top 10, joining Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State Monterey Bay.

National Rankings
The Warriors are ranked No. 14 nationally in the latest USTFCCCA NCAA Division II national coaches' poll, receiving 134 points. Stan State has been ranked among the nation's top 15 in every poll this season, beginning at No. 12 in the preseason rankings and climbing as high as No. 11. The Warriors were ranked No. 11 or tied for No. 11 in each of the previous three national polls.

Stan State remains the second-highest-ranked team from the West Region behind No. 4 Chico State. Biola is tied for No. 15, Western Washington is No. 20, Central Washington is No. 26 and Cal Poly Pomona is No. 28.

Last Time Out
The Warriors last competed Sept. 12 at the Kim Duyst Twilight at River Oaks Golf Course in Ceres, capturing their second consecutive team championship with 22 points in the seven-team field. Stan State finished 11 points ahead of NCAA Division I UC Santa Barbara and placed all five scorers among the top nine.

Stevie Holguin captured the individual 6K title in 20:41.4, finishing 3.5 seconds ahead of UC Santa Barbara's Jordin Lieberman. Kekaihulali Halpern placed third overall in 20:51.9, while Annie Wild finished fourth in 21:00.3 and freshman Natalie Arriaza placed fifth in 21:05.7.

Izzy Soto rounded out the scoring five with a ninth-place finish in 21:41.7. The Warriors' five scorers were separated by just 60.3 seconds.
For her performance, Holguin was named the FloCollege/CCAA Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week for the second consecutive week.

Bronco Invitational
The Women's 6K Invitational will feature a competitive field that includes NCAA Division I programs Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Fresno State, Long Beach State, Nevada, Northern Colorado, Pacific, Pepperdine, Sacramento State, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, Saint Mary's, UC Davis and UNLV.

Other participating programs include CCAA opponents No. 4 Chico State, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State East Bay and Cal State Monterey Bay, along with Fresno Pacific and UC Merced.  Seven Warriors are entered in the Invitational race: Natalie Arriaza, Kekaihulali Halpern, Stevie Holguin, Risa Reynier, Megan Silva, Izzy Soto and Annie Wild.

Stan State will also have five runners competing in the Women's 6K Open race: Sophie Benham, Elizabeth Christopher, Demiree Dean, Roseli Diaz and Aubrey Lascano. The Open race will feature runners from several CCAA programs, including Chico State, Cal Poly Humboldt, Cal State Monterey Bay and San Francisco State, along with other collegiate and club competitors.

The meet will provide Stan State with its final opportunity to compete before the CCAA Championships as the Warriors prepare for the conference and NCAA postseason.

Up Next
Following the Bronco Invitational, Stan State will begin postseason competition at the CCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the CSUSB Cross Country Course in San Bernardino. The women's race is scheduled for 11 a.m.

The NCAA Division II West Regional will follow on Saturday, Nov. 21, at the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course in Sacramento, with the women's race scheduled for 10:15 a.m. The NCAA Division II National Championship is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, at Rim Rock Farm in Lawrence, Kansas.