SEASIDE, Calif. – The Cal State Monterey Bay cross country program took advantage of a weekend free of competition to help clean the Monterey State Beach.

"I am very proud of these student-athletes,” says Head Coach Greg Rhines. “I asked for their labor and weekend time, and all were more than willing to help. It is always a great thing to volunteer toward something so much bigger than ourselves, and raising awareness at the same time."

Located within minutes from campus, the Monterey State Beach gets a lot of student traffic. The beach is a favorite for many student athletes as well as a place for training.


 “Cleaning the beach was a lot of fun," says freshman Eric Jackson II.  “I was certainly surprised by the large amount of cigarette butts we found.”

“This was a good way to get to know the team on a personal level and to show the community we care,” says Mackenzie Morgan. “You leave with the 'good' feeling knowing you did something positive in the community.”

The cross country teams had an impressive turn out of 21 student-athletes. Within the group they picked up roughly 99 pounds of trash including nearly 1,892 cigarette butts, 86 pounds of trash and 13 pounds of recyclables.