Sports

UAA runners open with sweep in Hawaii

The young but talented UAA men's team scripted a perfect beginning to the cross-country season.

The UAA men's cross-country team posted a perfect score Saturday by producing the top seven finishers -- three of them freshmen -- at the Hawaii-Hilo Invitational in Hilo.

Leading the way was a familiar name, if not face -- Henry Cheseto, a freshman from Kenya who is the younger brother of former UAA great Marko Cheseto.

Cheseto made his college debut by edging teammate Dylan Anthony of Kodiak to win the men's 3-kilometer race. Victor Samoei, Michael Ramirez and Dominik Notz finished 3-4-5 to help UAA to a perfect team score of 15 points.

Edwin Kangogo, a freshman from Kenya who is the third Kangogo to run at UAA, placed sixth, and Nathan Kipchumba, another freshman from Kenya, placed seventh.

The UAA women made it a sweep, grabbing first, second and fourth place to top a field of six teams with 29 points, easily surpassing second-place Hawaii Pacific's 48 points.

Bryn Haebe, a senior from Colorado, took the victory by beating teammate Beatrice Decker, a junior transfer from Germany. Claiming fourth place was Tamara Perez, a freshman from France. Also cracking the top 10 for the Seawolves was eighth-place Jessica Pahkala of Wasilla.

Individual times were not available.

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