VENTURA, Calif. – Cal Lutheran men's cross country competed in the Pirate XC Invitational at Arroyo Verde Park in Ventura, finishing 6th.

Arroyo Grande was one of the more difficult courses that the program has taken on over the past few years with 469 feet of elevation gain and rugged terrain throughout the four mile course.

The Kingsmen had 9 runners place, with Adrian Rodriguez, Daniel Velasquez, and Vincent May at the head of the pack. Rodriguez finished 19th with a time of 25:22.2. Velasquez placed 28th with a time of 25:59.5, while May ended in 31st at 26:21.6.

Freshman Tristan Kanner had a photo finish late in the 27th minute, beating his opponent by hundredths of a second due to an impressive lean with his chest at the finish line.

"It was a hard course but we raced tough and worked together throughout the meet. Proud of how they competed," said Brett Halvaks. "It was awesome to have four Kingsmen race in a Cal Lutheran uniform for the first time in their careers."

Cal Lutheran has a few weeks off before traveling up to Santa Clarita for The Master's Invite on September 20.