SALINAS, Calif.  

The De Anza College women's cross-country team delivered a stunning upset on Wednesday, edging No. 1-ranked Hartnell College by a single point (28 to 29) to win the 2025 Coast Conference Championship on Hartnell's home course.

This is De Anza's first women's Coast title since 2022.

Sophomore Siena Pignataro led the Mountain Lions with a strong third place finish in 18:35.9, followed closely by Corinne Thelen in 4th (18:57.2) to give De Anza an early advantage up front.

Freshman Romy Kiessling (9th, 20:06.2) and Nathaly Bernal (13th, 20:57.6) added key middle-pack points, while Erika Pham (18th, 22:46.6) closed the scoring five, securing the decisive one-point margin that clinched the title.

"This was a complete team effort," said De Anza head coach Andy Ponce de Leon - who was named 2025 Coast Conference Women's Cross Country Coach of the Year.

"Every runner knew her role. On Hartnell's home course, against a top-notch team, our women competed with confidence from start to finish. Winning by one point makes it even sweeter."

The victory highlights the Mountain Lions' rise as a resilient, unified team and positions them as a serious contender heading into next week's Northern California Championships.

Mountain Lion Men Earn Runner-Up Finish Behind Strong Pack Effort

The De Anza men's team continued their upward trajectory, placing second overall at the Coast Conference Championships with a strong team showing.

Giovanni Lancellotti led the Mountain Lions with a third place finish (21:42.0), followed by a tight scoring pack of Jonathan Kammerer (12th, 22:32.2), Roee Biluar (14th, 22:43.6), Alexander Herrera (18th, 23:07.5), and Jerry Dang (19th, 23:21.5).

"Our men showed excellent composure and race execution," said Ponce de Leon. 

"We've seen steady progress each week, and today was another step forward. Hats off to the competition - finishing second to a great team shows where we're headed. We're excited for next week's regional meet and the opportunity to keep improving."

Complete Results: https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/meet/263635/results/all

Next Up

The Mountain Lions will compete at the Northern California Championship next week on Friday in Fresno, where both squads aim to qualify for the CCCAA State Championships.