LOS ANGELES ? The UC San Diego track and field teams competed in the Occidental Distance Carnival on Friday, with several athletes placing in the top 10 in their respective events. The Triton women had an excellent showing in the 5,000 meter, as UCSD runners claimed four of the top 11 finishes in the field.

Sophomore Brianna Alban led the way, finishing sixth overall with a time of 18:06.40, which shaved 18 seconds off her personal record. Freshman Elena Inouye was the next UCSD runner to cross the line, placing eighth at 18:12.88. Inouye finished four seconds in front of Jordana Henderson, who took ninth with a time of 18:16.55, while Jessie Bodenhamer clocked in at 18:25.22, which was good enough for 11th place.

“There are times when everything seems to come together for a group, as was the case in the women's 5k today,” distance coach Nate Garcia said. “Racing in a large field, our ladies ran like they belonged there.”

UCSD placed three runners in the top 20 in the men's 5,000 meter, with Jeremy Riley leading the way for the Tritons. Running in the event for the first time, the freshman turned in a solid effort, placing 12th with a time of 15:16.48. Eric Baum was next-fastest UCSD runner on the day, finishing at 15:23.42 to claim 17th place. He finished two seconds in front of teammate Gabe LaMothe, who finished in 19th place with a time of 15:25.35. Kevin Klein crossed the finish line with a time of 15:47.63 to place 31st overall, while John Svet took 33rd at 15:54.57.

“With three of our five racers working through their first 5k, we were very pleased with the results,” Garcia added. “Jeremy continued to impress and Eric had a very strong finish to the race.”

In other events, senior Jake LeVieux dipped under four minutes for the first time this season in the 1500, finishing in seventh place with a time of 3:59.52, while junior Max Mullender placed 15th in the steeplechase at 15:15.06.

The Tritons will be back in action in the Cal-Nevada Collegiate Championships March 28-29 on the campus of UCLA.