'Dogs to close out regular season at Bronco Invitational

BRONCO INVITATIONAL
October 17, 2026 | Sunnyvale, Calif. | Baylands Park
Men's 8k – 8:45 a.m. PT | Women's 6k – 9:30 a.m. PT

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FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno State cross country team will wrap up its regular-season schedule on Saturday, Oct. 17, at the Bronco Invitational, hosted by Santa Clara at Baylands Regional Park in Sunnyvale, Calif.

The Bronco Invitational has been a staple on collegiate cross country schedules for more than three decades, attracting nationally ranked programs, conference champions and All-Americans. Originally held at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont, the meet moved to Baylands Regional Park in 2005.

BUILDING MOMENTUM

Fresno State enters its final regular-season meet after competing at the Gaucho Twilight, Riverside Invitational and Charles Bowles Willamette Invitational.
The Bulldogs have continued to make progress throughout the season, with both teams showing improvement at their most recent competition.
The Bronco Invitational will serve as Fresno State's final regular-season test before the Pac-12 Championships on Oct. 30 in Boise, Idaho.

WOMEN MAKING STRIDES

The Bulldog women turned in one of their strongest performances of the season at the Charles Bowles Invitational on Oct. 3.
Fresno State placed three runners in the top 11 of the women's 5K, led by Chiara Pedol in seventh place.
Rhiannon Walker finished 10th with a personal-best 17:50.3, while Ashley Villafana Rodriguez placed 11th in a personal-best 17:54.2.
All three performances have the potential to earn spots on or improve positions on Fresno State's all-time top-25 5K list.
The Bulldogs finished ahead of Nevada for the first time in program history and showed significant improvement against Saint Mary's compared to their season-opening meet at UC Santa Barbara.
Nayla Martin also made strides at the Charles Bowles Invitational, moving up in the Bulldog lineup to finish fourth on the team and 34th overall in 18:27.5.
Fresno State accomplished those results without Khushleen Khakh, who missed the meet due to illness.

PEDOL LEADING THE WAY

Chiara Pedol has established herself as a leader for the Bulldog women this season.
The junior has been Fresno State's top finisher in each of the team's last two meets.
Pedol recorded a seventh-place finish at the Charles Bowles Invitational, completing the 5K course in 17:36.7.
Her performance was one of three top-11 finishes for Fresno State at the meet.

MEN FINDING THEIR RHYTHM

The Fresno State men bounced back at the Charles Bowles Invitational following a challenging outing at the Riverside Invitational, where several runners were affected by illness.
Ivan Barranco led the Bulldogs in Oregon, placing 48th overall with a personal-best time of 25:16.4 in the 8K.
Noah Graffigna followed in 52nd place with a time of 25:20.0.
Enrique Loredo returned to form with a personal-best 25:21.6, placing 54th overall.
Jaden Tungate rounded out Fresno State's top four, finishing 62nd in a season-best 25:29.3.
Just 12.9 seconds separated the Bulldogs' first four finishers, highlighting the group's tight pack.
The Bulldogs will look to build on that consistency as they prepare for postseason competition.

FINAL TUNEUP BEFORE THE PAC-12

The Bronco Invitational marks Fresno State's final competition before its first Pac-12 Cross Country Championships.
The Bulldogs will travel to Boise, Idaho, for the conference championships on Oct. 30.
Fresno State will then compete at the NCAA West Regional on Nov. 13 in Sacramento, Calif.

ABOUT THE BRONCO INVITATIONAL

The Santa Clara Bronco Invitational has been a prominent mid-to-late-season meet for more than three decades.
The meet was originally held at Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont, Calif., before moving to Baylands Regional Park in Sunnyvale in 2005.
Over the years, the event has featured nationally ranked teams, conference champions and All-Americans.
Baylands Regional Park is known for its flat, fast course, making the meet an opportunity for runners to record some of their fastest times of the season.
The event provides Fresno State with another opportunity to compete against a strong field ahead of postseason racing.

THE 2026 SQUAD

The Fresno State women's cross country team returns eight out of nine runners from the 2025 team.
Last season, the women's team had its best finish in the NCAA West Regional since 2013.
The Bulldogs' top runner, Chiara Pedol, who led Fresno State in every race last season, returns for her junior season. She is joined by fellow international runner Nayla Martin as one of the Bulldogs' top runners.
The men's team returns four out of five runners from last season, including team-leaders Noah Graffigna and Emilio Nunez.
Jaden Tungate, Enrique Loredo and Elijah Williams also return to the Bulldog squad.

LEADERS OF THE PACK

Head Coach Jason Drake enters his eighth season leading the Bulldogs.
This year, he is joined by assistant coach McKaylie Caesar, a former All-American cross country runner born and raised in the Central Valley in Lindsay, Calif.

FOR THE V

The Fresno State cross country team boasts 24 athletes from the Valley.
All 11 of the runners on the men's team originate from Valley cities, making them the only team on Fresno State's campus that is fully represented by Valley natives.

'Dogs to close out regular season at Bronco Invitational

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Players Mentioned

Ivan Barranco

Noah Graffigna

Khushleen Khakh

Enrique Loredo

Nayla Martin

Emilio Nunez

Chiara Pedol

Jaden Tungate

Ashley Villafana Rodriguez

Rhiannon Walker

Elijah Williams

Fresno State Athletics

'Dogs to close out regular season at Bronco Invitational

Next Event

Related News

Players Mentioned

Ivan Barranco

Noah Graffigna

Khushleen Khakh

Enrique Loredo

Nayla Martin

Emilio Nunez

Chiara Pedol

Jaden Tungate

Ashley Villafana Rodriguez

Rhiannon Walker

Elijah Williams

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