Ramirez is 4th; Vaqueros are 5th in WSC Preview

Alex Ramirez placed fourth and SBCC was fifth on Friday in the WSC Preview men's cross country race at the Kern County Soccer Complex in Bakersfield.

Ramirez, a sophomore from Buena High, covered the 4-mile course in 21:16. Alejandro Ambrossio of Glendale was the winner in the 114-runner race in 21:00 and he led his team to the top of the 12-team field.

On a hot day, the Vaqueros ran the fastest SBCC team time ever on the Kern County Course. The combined time of the top five runners was 1:13.48.

Patrick Lownes-Santos had his highest finish this season, taking 29th place in 22:33. Jose Tarula was close behind in 34th place (22:45). The other two scoring Vaqueros were Charles Perry and Marcus Dunkel, who ran 23:23 and 23:48, respectively.

Jacob Ogawa was sixth for the Vaqueros, placing 72nd in 24:26. Jordan Shinn ran 24:51 for 79th place. The final three Vaqueros were Aaron Mackey (98th, 26:57), Victor Santos (100th, 27:13) and Max Cardenas (110th, 30:05).

"The men ran bravely in the heat today," said coach Scott Fickerson. "They continue to improve and learn from their mistakes. This was another step in the right direction on our road to the state meet. We have a lot of work ahead of us still, but I'm optimistic for a strong finish."

SBCC returns to action on Friday in the Tour de Cuesta at the Fairbanks Cross Country Course in San Luis Obispo. The men's race starts at 4:15 p.m.