The men’s cross country team made great strides this past weekend toward becoming one of the nation’s strongest teams.
The Bruins finished in fourth place at the Bill Dellinger Invitational in Eugene, Oregon. Last year, the team placed fifth in the meet.
UCLA totaled 106 points by its top five runners.
“The team ran very well,” coach Eric Peterson said. “The field was a high quality field of teams. We have been under the impression since we started practicing our team is both deep and strong.”
Leading the way for the squad was senior Drew Shackleton, who finished the 8k course in 24:42 in 17th place. Senior Laef Barnes came in 19th with a time of 24:47. Senior Mike Haddan took 23rd place in 24:53, while junior Marlon Patterson was hot on his teammate’s heels, finishing in 25th at 24:54. Sophomore Kent Morikawa rounded out the top five at 24:58 in 27th place.
“We ran very well Saturday,” Peterson said. “It’s pleasing for me because we were really executing good team running. It’s not easy to do. It really takes a willingness to put the team in front of their own personal goals.”
The 16-second gap between the No. 1 and No. 5 runners tells a lot about how well the team ran as a unit.
The performance at the Dellinger Invitational should boost the Bruins’ into the national rankings. Last week, the team was receiving votes but placed higher than No. 17 Texas-El Paso and No. 23 Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who were fifth and seventh, respectively.
“It’s a confidence builder,” Peterson said. “It’s more evidence of the strength of our team. The guys are feeling confident, which will allow us to prepare for the postseason.”
Held out from the meet was junior Alex Crabill, who was sidelined with a foot injury. He resumed running last week, but the poor conditions in Eugene were not worth the risk. Rain soaked the course all weekend and temperatures were in the 50s. Crabill will be ready for competition in two weeks, when UCLA will participate in the Pre-NCAA Invitational in Terre Haute, Ind.