CERES, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay men's cross country team opened the 2017 season on a high note Friday, taking third place at Stanislaus State's annual Kim Duyst Invitational, which also served as a preview meet for the 2017 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships.

The Pioneers battled a tough field that featured four other CCAA teams, including three of the top 10 ranked teams in the West Region in Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State San Marcos, and San Francisco State. East Bay also battled the elements at River Oaks Golf Course, with temperatures near 90 degrees at the start of the race.

Despite the heat, Arizona native Chris Lessard led CSUEB with a strong showing to open the season. The senior placed seventh overall with an 8k time of 26:33.2.

Lessard was one of four Pioneers to finish in the top 20 overall, following by junior Israel Sotelo in 14th (27:14.6), sophomore Pedro Cruz in 16th (27:20.4), and sophomore Miguel Morales in 19th (27:23.0).

Senior Zach Kanlong was the fifth Pioneer finisher, taking 25th place overall with a time of 27:47.4. Sophomore Christian Moncada was just behind him in 30th place in 28:02.4. Alberto Venegas (28:40.6) and Esteban Leon (28:45.5) rounded out East Bay's team performance with 41st and 43rd place finishes, respectively. 

With a day of competition under their belts, the Pioneers will now take three weeks to train before running again in the SF State Invitational at Golden Gate Park on Sept. 22.