Fresno State Athletics
Thursday, September 3
Lompoc, CA
Women's 4k, 6 p.m. PT | Men's 6k, 6:25 p.m. PT
Fresno State
at
Gaucho Twilight
9/3/2026 9:30:00 PM | Cross Country
LOMPOC, Calif. – The Fresno State cross country team opened the 2026 season on Thursday evening at the Gaucho Twilight, hosted by UC Santa Barbara at Mission Club Golf Course.
The Bulldog men placed third in the 6K with 83 points, placing five runners inside the top 30. Fresno State's scoring five crossed the finish line within 21.5 seconds of each other.
Noah Graffigna led the Bulldogs with a 16th-place finish, clocking a time of 18:55.3. Emilio Nunez followed in 17th at 18:58.8, while Jaden Tungate placed 19th with a time of 19:04.5.
Ivan Barranco was the fourth Bulldog across the line, finishing 24th in 19:10.6, while freshman Matthew Wong rounded out Fresno State's scoring five in 29th at 19:16.8.
On the women's side, Fresno State placed fourth with 115 points in the 4K.
Rhiannon Walker paced the Bulldogs, finishing 24th with a time of 14:35.9. Ashley Villafana Rodriguez followed in 28th at 14:44.2, while Khushleen Khakh placed 35th with a time of 14:59.6.
Leah Mendibles and Hannah Garrity rounded out Fresno State's scoring five, finishing back-to-back in 40th and 41st with times of 15:09.1 and 15:10.3, respectively.
"It was good to shake the rust off and get in a competitive race," Head Coach Jason Drake said. "We have areas to improve, but overall we had a solid start."
NOTABLE
UP NEXT
Fresno State returns to action on Sept. 19 at the UC Riverside Invitational in Riverside, California.
The Bulldog men placed third in the 6K with 83 points, placing five runners inside the top 30. Fresno State's scoring five crossed the finish line within 21.5 seconds of each other.
Noah Graffigna led the Bulldogs with a 16th-place finish, clocking a time of 18:55.3. Emilio Nunez followed in 17th at 18:58.8, while Jaden Tungate placed 19th with a time of 19:04.5.
Ivan Barranco was the fourth Bulldog across the line, finishing 24th in 19:10.6, while freshman Matthew Wong rounded out Fresno State's scoring five in 29th at 19:16.8.
On the women's side, Fresno State placed fourth with 115 points in the 4K.
Rhiannon Walker paced the Bulldogs, finishing 24th with a time of 14:35.9. Ashley Villafana Rodriguez followed in 28th at 14:44.2, while Khushleen Khakh placed 35th with a time of 14:59.6.
Leah Mendibles and Hannah Garrity rounded out Fresno State's scoring five, finishing back-to-back in 40th and 41st with times of 15:09.1 and 15:10.3, respectively.
"It was good to shake the rust off and get in a competitive race," Head Coach Jason Drake said. "We have areas to improve, but overall we had a solid start."
NOTABLE
- Fresno State's men placed five runners inside the top 30.
- The Bulldogs' top three men finished within 9.2 seconds of each other.
- Just 21.5 seconds separated Fresno State's five scoring runners in the men's race.
- Noah Graffigna and Rhiannon Walker were Fresno State's top finishers in their respective races.
- Ivan Barranco, Matthew Wong, David Servin-Chavez and Brooklyn Bawanan made their Fresno State debuts.
- Wong made his collegiate debut, finishing as the Bulldogs' fifth scorer in the men's race.
UP NEXT
Fresno State returns to action on Sept. 19 at the UC Riverside Invitational in Riverside, California.
Players Mentioned
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