California Golden Bears cross country will start its second season in the Atlantic Coast Conference on Friday at the USF Invitational in San Francisco. The event, held at Hellman Hollow in Golden Gate Park, marks the 32nd anniversary of the race. The women’s 6,000-meter competition begins at 2 p.m. PT, followed by the men’s 8,000-meter race at 3 p.m. PT.
Cal has a long history with this event, having participated for over twenty years. Over that time, the men’s team has secured seven titles and the women have claimed six.
Last year, Cal’s men finished third overall while the women placed fourth. In 2024, alumnus Carrick Denker won the men’s title and was followed by fellow alum Garrett MacQuiddy, marking Cal’s first 1-2 finish since 2016. Three members of the men’s team finished in the top 25; Alex Lodewick placed 18th with a time of 24:59.6.
On the women’s side last year, four runners from Cal finished among the top forty competitors. Addie Johnson led with an eighth-place finish. Sophie Tau came in twelfth with a time of 21:38.3. Sarah Perkins and Sabine Kim finished in twenty-second and thirty-eighth place respectively.
After competing at the USF Invitational, Cal is scheduled to participate in the Kim Duyst Twilight Invitational in Stanislaus on September 13.
For updates on California Golden Bears cross country, fans can follow their official social media accounts on Twitter (@CalTFXC), Instagram (@caltfxc), and Facebook (/CalTFXC/).
