Cal Poly Cross Country made its 2026 season debut at the Gaucho Twilight on Thursday, taking first place in the men’s and women’s team titles and individual titles.
Twenty-four Mustangs competed in the meet against runners from UC Santa Barbara, Westmont, Cuesta College, Fresno State, and Saint Mary’s on the women’s side.
On the men’s side, Cal Poly took eight of the top 10 spots, including the first four places, securing the team title with 17 points, a staggering 33 points ahead of second-place UC Santa Barbara.
Senior Dheeraj Gurusamy took the individual title with a time of 18:10.4 in the 6k, followed by sophomore Miles Cook, senior Rory Catsimanes, and freshman Kyle Jakary to round out the top four. The win marks Gurusamy’s first individual title during his collegiate career and a personal best in the 6k.
The Cal Poly women also won with 17 points, led by fifth-year Tatiana Cornejo, who competed in her first race for the cross country program since the 2024 West Regional meet. Cornejo secured the individual title with a dominant 4k time of 13:26.7.
It was another podium sweep for the Mustangs on the women’s side, with junior Nikki Bridges taking second place and junior Mellise Djomby Enyawe finishing in third. The women also took eight of the top 10 places at the meet, beating out UC Santa Barbara by 32 points.
The meet marked the debut of the new Director of Track and Field and Cross Country, Jake Stewart, and Head Cross Country Coach Delaney Rasmussen. With new faces leading the program, Cal Poly Cross Country does not look to be slowing down any time soon after sweeping the Big West Championships last year for the fourth consecutive time.
The Mustangs will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 25, to compete in the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational hosted by Loyola University Chicago.