Baker, Schnepf lead T-Birds at Lori Fitzgerald Invite

Sunday August 31,  2025 - 2:00 p.m. | Dylan DeVlieger

Women's Cross Country

No. 1 MCC Women's Cross Country hit the road for the first time this season and had a strong showing at the Lori Fitzgerald Invite, placing five runners in the top 50.

Freshman Olivia Baker led the way for the Thunderbirds, finishing 16th overall in 18:13. She was followed closely by Lucy Melzer, who clocked 18:54 for 25th, and Katie Munoz, who crossed the line 28th in 19:22. Kinley Jackson ran 20:03 for 39th, while Olivia Scroggins rounded out Mesa's top five in 48th with a time of 21:18.

Head coach Daniel Pescador praised the performance:

"The ladies got the day started, and have a very great true season opener. They set the bar for what they want to accomplish this year. This team is going to be very very good once we get to full health with Kinley, Marissa and Evalyn," said coach Pescador. 

Men's Cross Country

No. 2 MCC Men's Cross Country turned in a solid showing, with Cal Schnepf leading the charge. Schnepf placed 30th overall in 15:47, showing impressive early-season form.

Mesa's depth showed with Josef Iker running 38th in 16:10, followed by a tight group that packed well together. Alex Lopez and Brady Moar finished back-to-back in 48th and 49th at 16:27, while Benett Kaup crossed in 53rd at 16:32. Edgar Molera-Madril closed out the scoring five in 57th with a 16:45.

Other Thunderbird finishers included Dean Haller (60th, 16:48), Deng Majak (64th, 17:28), Caleb Faba (65th, 17:28), Parker Stoft (67th, 17:45), and Cole Bzoski (71st, 19:13).

Coach Daniel Pescador emphasized the team's pack-running strategy:

"The men really worked on staying close together and having a tight back. We definitely accomplished that goal, as our top 5 only had a 45 second gap. We'll work on getting it faster overall, but they ran strong, courageous, but more importantly together," said coach Pescador. 

Mesa will be back in action on Saturday as they compete in the Embry Riddle Invite.

Click here to view the full results from the Lori Fitzgerald Invite.