It was beautiful Saturday at Monument Valley Park for the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs to host the Rust Buster Open. The Rust Buster was a low-key early season preparation race with no team score kept. The full race plan for UCCS will come into action three weeks from now in Boulder.

The men’s 6,000 meter collegiate race saw action from 85 runners. Jackson Brainerd (Colorado College) and Carl Arnold (Metro State) took out the race leading through the 2,000 meter point with Mike English and Sam Feldotto close behind, both from UCCS. At the 4,000 meter point Arnold lead by a couple seconds but Brainerd’s strength created a 10 second win finishing with a time of 19:03.60 and a new Monument Valley Park men’s course record. Brainerd is one of the preseason favorites to win the individual NCAA D-III cross-country National Championship. Also, the Air Force Academy men started with an interesting race strategy with the entire team running in a formation through the first 2,000 meters. No Air Force runner was in the top 30 at the 2,000 meter point but 9 Air Force runners finished in the top 20.

For the UCCS men’s, over the last half of the race English and Feldotto fell from third and fourth to fifth and ninth, finishing with times of 19:32.03 and 19:48.65. The rest of the Mountain Lion men finished with the following time; 16) Micheal Johnson-20:11.57, 26) Luke Dakin-20:30.43,  36) Ian Penn-20:42.76, 38) Ted Schultz-20:46.43, 48) Josh Jones-21:16.32, 52) Matt Cahalan-21:19.99, 57) Allen Browne-21:45.37, 62) Chris Reynolds-21:54.23.

For Mike English, he says he “ran much better at the Rust Buster then last year” and that “it was a great first race.”

Feldotto, “my arms cramped up at about the 3k point of the race. I need to work on my endurance, but I never felt bad for the entire race.”

The women’s 4,000 meter race was the last race for the day. Kaitlin Fryer (UCCS) and Xenia Flores (Metro State) lead out the field from the start line and into the course. Flores broken open a lead between the 1,000-2,000 meter points and cruised to a 15 second win, in a final time of 15:11.55. Fryer finished in sixth place with a time of 15:48.60. The Air Force Academy had four runners in the top 10 at; second, third, fourth and ninth. The most impressive race performance of the day was Veronica Sandoval, a freshman (UCCS), placed eight in her first college race in a time of 15:51.89.

The rest of the Mountain Lion women’s completed Rust Buster as follows; 14) Melissa Buchanan-16:07.39, 16) Madison Neder-16:09.85, 20) Natalie Miller-16:17.01, 21) Alicia Del Pardo-16:20.23, 23) Kassie Mazzocco-16:22.01, 31) Sara Kettelkamp-16:52.78.

Sandoval said “I was really nervous for my fist college race but as I crossed the finish line I was really proud of myself”

Fryer said “I probably it out a bit to fast. I felt good and in control the whole time and my race here was much better then last year”

For Coach Mark Misch, “We had ten runners competing in there first collegiate race and the young people ran well”

The next race for UCCS will be Saturday, October 2^nd at the Rocky Mountain Shootout hosted by the University of Colorado-Boulder.