RIVERSIDE, Calif. (UNLVrebels.com) – The UNLV cross country took off on their second meet of the season on Saturday, competing in the UC Riverside Invitational Women's Open 5K. The Rebels traveled nine different student-athletes to the meet, every single member of the roster posting a personal-best time in the event while wearing the Scarlet & Gray uniform.
 
"Good team race today for the Rebels," mentioned coach Adam Meyer. "The ladies came out here to see what we could do on heavy legs from training and everyone executed their game plans."
 
Nicole Boskovich led the way for the Scarlet & Gray, posting a final time of 18:45.3. The junior made a strong push in the final 1,000 meters, jumping up nine places on approximately a 2:09 split to hit a personal-best time by over 45 seconds. Her teammate Abigail Danlag would also see a time drop of over three-quarters of a minute, trimming 50 seconds to cross the finish on a 19:15.8 time.
 
The Rebels' freshman also headed impressive performances as they competed in their first collegiate 5K race, Claire Rands leading the newcomers just two seconds behind Boskovich at an 18:47.0 time. Less than five seconds later another first-year crossed the finish line in Breanna Blanks, the Las Vegas native clocking in a 18:50.1 final time to round out the top-three finishers for the UNLV squad (Boskovich, Rands, Blanks). 
 
Leah Okuda finished her collegiate 5K debut on a 19:25.3 time, Alana Sangprasit right behind her at 19:42.5 with a 32-second personal-best mark. Another UNLV freshman clocked in a top-200 time in the event, Sophia Legat crossing on a final time of 19:53.5.
 
Jaida Lyles finished the race on a personal-best time in the Rebel uniform as well, finishing 19:58.8 during Saturday morning's race. Aine McDade featured the largest time drop of any Rebel on the roster, dropping over two minutes and 45 seconds in her race. 
 
The Scarlet & Gray will take part in one more meet before the postseason, racing in the Bronco Invitational in Sunnyvale, Calif. That meet hosted by Santa Clara University will take place on Saturday, Oct. 19. To stay updated on all things UNLV cross country, follow its Twitter / X and Instagram social media accounts. News and updates on the Rebels will also be posted online at UNLVrebels.com.