The San Bernardino Valley College women's cross country team scored its highest team finish in its 35-year existence Saturday at the State Championships at Woodward Park in Fresno.

The race, moved up to an 8:30 a.m. start due to air quality issues from nearby fires, was a dogfight from the start, as half of the Wolverines got ahead of the pack early.

Returning All-American Alyssa Benavides had a solid back-half of the course, helping PCAC Champion Alissa Johnson stay near the front, coach Eric Abrams said. Benavides, the first SBVC woman to reach All-American, was the top finisher for the Wolverines, clocking in at 19 minutes, 18.4 seconds on the 5K course, good for 24th. Johnson finished less than seven seconds later in 27th at 19:25.4.

Brandy Ayala and Darilyn Hernandez each clocked personal best times on the Fresno course. Ayala finished 54th with a time of 20:05.5 while Hernanez was 73rd at 20:31.6.

"I've coached cross country for 19 years, and this is the most impressive group of women I have ever been around," Abrams said. "This goes way beyond their accomplishments on the course. America's future is bright knowing that these 10 women and two amazing assistant coaches are in it.

Jessica Aguilera rounded out the top five for the Wolverines, clocking in at 21:00.4, good for 96th place, in her first race at Woodward Park. Jayda Martinez posted a time of 21:37.6 (121st) and Lilly Armendariz finished at 22:17.3 (130th) for the Wolverines.