SACRAMENTO, Calif. — UC San Diego's Elle Marsyla again paced the Tritons in the 6k, securing a top 20 finish at the NCAA West Regional Friday morning in Sacramento. The graduate student ran a 19:58.6 to secure a USTFCCCA All-West Region honor. The women's team placed 20th in the region. In the men's 10k, Joseph Vargas was the Tritons top finisher, leading them to a team finish of 16th.
 
The Triton men improved their finish from the 2025 West Regional by two places; Vargas jumped 25 spots from where he finished last season. The Triton women placed 13th in the 2025 race. Both fields consisted of over 200 athletes, with the women competing among 250 other runners. West Region team titles went to Oregon on the men and women's side.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – WOMEN'S RACE
Marsyla was a standout for the Tritons during the race taking the 20th spot. At the 2.5-mile mark Marsyla was in 22nd, she passed two runners in the next half mile stretch to hold her spot in the top 20. Michelle Huerta was the next Triton finisher in 123rd. Shea Elmore followed to take 141st. Norah Dulaney, Stefania Sesock, and Dasha LeFaivre wrap up the Triton lineup finishing 157th, 169th, and 171st. In the stretch of a mile LeFaivre passed 16 runners to establish her position, jumping three more spots ahead in the final half mile.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED – MEN'S RACE
Three Tritons secured top 100 finishes in the men's 10k. Vargas improved 20 places from the 5k mark to his final time. Ryan Stanley was the next Triton finisher in 82nd. Jeffrey Keeney followed in the 92 spot. Shane Badcock passed 20 runners in the last half mile of the race to secure 104th. Rounding out the Triton Tate Meaux improved three places in the last stretch to finish 108th, and Marco Franco placed 117th.
 
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"Really pleased with how both teams raced today. The women were shooting for a top 20 finish and got it, getting wins over a couple conference teams that beat them a couple weeks ago," Head Coach Nate Garcia states.
 
"Elle ran a great race. She put herself in the mix early on and battled some of the toughest racers in the country. Really proud of her All-West Region performance."
 
"The men executed their plan perfectly. They worked well together, were brave in some tough moments, and really committed to the finish. Not often you get 100% performance from a team, but I think that all six of our guys had great races today. Really happy to move up to 16th in the Region."
 
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.