SAN DIEGO — This week's season opener for Triton cross country will be close to home, with San Diego State hosting the Aztec Coastal Classic in Mission Valley on Friday. The men's 7k begins at 4:20 p.m., followed by the women's 5k at 5:00 p.m.
 
The races will be at SDSU Mission Valley River Park, located on the south side of Snapdragon Stadium at 1 Stadium Way, San Diego, CA 92108.
 
Friday will be the first time that UC San Diego competes in the City of San Diego since moving to Division I in 2020.
 
DETAILS
Meet 1 – Aztec Coastal Classic
Friday, Aug. 29 | Snapdragon Stadium | San Diego, Calif.
Men's 7k – 4:20 p.m. | Women's 5k – 5:00 p.m.
Forecast: High of 83 with a low of 71; wind up to 8 mph; 0% chance of rain; 71% humidity
 
PRESEASON RANKINGS
Both the Triton men and the Triton women are ranked in the preseason edition of the NCAA West Region Rankings for the first time in Division I. The men check into the coaches' poll at No. 13, while the women are ranked No. 14.
 
THE TRITONS
The women's team features 20 scholar-athletes, 16 returners and four newcomers. Joining the squad are four incoming freshmen: Saidbh Byrne, Shea Elmore, Kylie Hoornaert and Sabrina Zanetto.
 
The men's team features 15 scholar-athletes, nine returners and six newcomers. Joining the squad are six incoming freshmen: Oliver Clippinger-Zimmermann, Evan Gardner, Nathaniel Griffin-Yeh, Ian Hansen, Navin Kadel and Bradford Stegge.
 
California is home for 30 of the 35 runners. Only one is a transfer, the rest joined the Tritons out of high school. There are nine seniors, nine juniors, six sophomores and 11 freshmen.
 
MEET THE COACHES
Head coach Nate Garcia '00 is back for his 19th season at the helm of Triton cross country and 24th as a member of the coaching staff. He was a four-year letter-winner in both cross country and track at UC San Diego from 1996 to 2000. Garcia is assisted by Meriah Earle, who is in her fourth season with the Tritons. Earle ran both track and cross country at San Diego State, graduating in 2001.
 
BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Tritons are in their second season of Division I postseason eligibility and will compete in The Big West Championships on Oct. 31 in Honolulu, Hawai'i. In 2024, the Triton women placed fourth and the Triton men placed fifth at the conference championships.
 
Sylvana Northrop was the Tritons' top individual finisher at those races last season, placing sixth to earn All-Conference honors. She returns in 2025 for her redshirt senior season.
 
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Tritons will also compete in the NCAA West Regional Championships on Nov. 14 in Sacramento. The Regional Championships serve as qualifiers for select teams to advance to the NCAA Championships, which will be on Nov. 22 in Columbia, Missouri.
 
UP NEXT
The Texas A&M Invitational is next for the Tritons on Sept. 13. Racing begins at 6:00 a.m. PT in College Station, Texas.
 
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.

TRITON CROSS COUNTRY TALK
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. New episodes of Tritoncast are available on the most popular podcasting apps and on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.

GET SOCIAL WITH UC SAN DIEGO CROSS COUNTRY
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X, Facebook and Instagram. The team's handle is @ucsdxc.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events and much more!

GEAR
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, click here.

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.