MONMOUTH, Ore. – Cal State East Bay men's cross country turned in a strong performance at the Mike Johnson XC Classic, placing eighth overall in the 13-team field.  The Pioneers had great showings from its veteran leaders and a tightly packed scoring group.
 
Senior Matthew Morgon led the Pioneers with a standout run, clocking 24:39.0 for 22nd place overall. Not far behind, junior Phillip Logan crossed in 24:45.7 to secure 28th, giving East Bay a strong 1-2 punch inside the top 30.
 
The Pioneers' scoring pack closed out in a wave just after the 26-minute mark. Junior Mark Velasquez placed 69th in 26:09.0, followed by senior Christopher Valderrama at 26:28.3 (80th) and junior Joaquin McGee in 26:34.2 (83rd). That grouping sealed East Bay's team score of 194 and landing the Pioneers in 8^th place.
 
Rounding out the lineup, junior John Funderburg finished in 27:07.3 (100th) and junior Dylan Baptista crossed in 28:17.8 (125th).  As a team, East Bay ran a combined 2:08:36 with an average of 25:43 per runner.
 
The Pioneers will look to build on the momentum as they continue the heart of the cross country season next Friday at the Pacific Invite in Lodi.