Freezing temperatures and the top teams in the nation do not
scare the UCLA women’s cross country team.
But no running shoes? That poses a real problem.
In a mix-up at a changeover in Chicago, the women’s
luggage was delayed an entire day, leaving them without any of
their gear the day before the NCAA Championships at Northern
Iowa.
Despite this mishap, the Bruins are confident going into
today’s competition. They have reason to be, having placed
second at the NCAA Regionals on Nov. 15. This performance earned
the team an automatic bid to the championships for the first time
in school history.
“Regionals set the standard,” senior Valerie Flores
said. “We know that we have been capable of running this well
all season. We’re on right now.”
The Bruins are also the only team in the country to have beaten
both BYU and Stanford, considered to be the top two teams in the
nation.
“Even though the teams were not at full strength (when we
beat them), it gives our team a tremendous deal of
confidence,” coach Eric Peterson said.
The Bruins will be racing on the same course they ran at the
Pre-National Invitational on Oct. 18. At that meet, which was
divided into two heats, UCLA placed fifth in its heat. Flores led
the Bruins with a time of 20:31, good enough to earn eighth in her
heat.
Already being familiar with the course and the competition has
allowed the Bruins to feel comfortable going into today’s
race.
“I know I can be competitive with them,” redshirt
freshman Ashley Caldwell said. “I don’t want to psych
myself out.”
Though the competition may be the same, the Bruins have changed
a lot as a team over the past month. Whereas at Pre-Nationals, the
fifth Bruin to cross the line placed 62nd overall, all five women
were in the top-25 at Regionals, with everyone earning
All-Regionals honors. Peterson points to the consistency of his
squad as the main difference between the team then and now.
“We’ve learned the importance of being deep and
learned the need to rely on everyone on the team,” Peterson
said. “The front-runners have been our bread and butter, but
each one of these kids has contributed to this team’s
success.”
“We’re going to go out there to run like we have
been running all season,” Flores said.
That is, as long as they have shoes.