BURNABY, B.C. – The Simon Fraser Red Leafs posted a perfect performance in the men's cross country race Friday afternoon at the San Francisco State Invitational, recording the lowest team score possible: 15 points. In a very close three-way battle, the SFU women were third with 59 points, with the first- and second-place squads posting 57 and 58, respectively, at Golden Gate Park.
 
In the eight-kilometer men's event, the first five runners to cross the finish line were Red Leafs, paced by race winner Charlie Dannatt of North Vancouver in a time of 24 minutes 42.7 seconds. Sebastian Brinkman (Bellevue, Wash.) earned second place with a time of 24:49.4. Waterloo, Ont.'s Scott Arndt came through in 25:05.6 for third. With a time of 25:11.9, Ephrem Mekonnen (Burnaby, B.C.) recorded his best placing this season: fourth. Aiden Good from Carstairs, Alta., was fifth in 25:13.4.
 
The Red Leafs placed four other runners in the men's top 20 Friday: Burnaby, B.C.'s Henry Ruckman-Utting (10th, 25:33.0), Kaelan House of Surrey, B.C. (12th, 25:37.1), Joel Perriard (Odesa, Ukraine) (19th, 25:49.2) and Jose Castro (Brampton, Ont.) (20th, 25:50.3).
 
Concordia (Calif.) was second with 62 points, and California State East Bay placed third with 105 points.
 
It was the second win of the 2022 NCAA cross country season for the SFU men, and it is the first time in its NCAA era the program has won a men's meet by scoring 15 points.
 

The Red Leafs placed eight women's runners in the top 21, with Megan Roxby in sixth (21:49.7) as the highest-ranking athlete for the team.
 
The remaining scoring runners for SFU on the six-km course were: Grace Chalk of Langley, B.C., who was ninth with a time of 22:04.7, Nanaimo, B.C.'s Kate Cameron (13th, 22:24.1), 14th-placed Emily Chilton of New Westminster, B.C. (22:24.8), and Calgary's Ella Marion in 17th (22:29.9).
 
Charlotte Prangley from North Vancouver, B.C., was 18th after reaching the finish line in 22:36.3. Milena Kalisch (New Westminster, B.C.) earned a 20th-place showing with a time of 22:39.7. Rachael Watkins (West Vancouver, B.C.) was next in 21st (22:43.4).

Concordia (Calif.) won the team title with 57 points, while Cal State East Bay had 58.
 
The Red Leafs' next competition will be the NCAA Division II Pre-Nationals meet on Oct. 22 at the Chambers Creek Regional Park in University Place, Washington. It will be SFU's final regular-season race before the Great Northwest Athletic Championships on Nov. 5 in Monmouth, Oregon.

For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.

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