Coaching change revamps cross country

If there is anything that the UCLA cross country team has been forced to do continuously other than mile repeats, it has been to constantly adapt.

Last Saturday, the Bruins took to a sloppy course in Eugene, Ore., at the NCAA West Regional Championships.

“In cross country, weather always plays a factor,” coach Forest Braden said.

For junior Shannon Murakami, sopping through the mud is just part of her job as a cross country athlete ““ even if her shoes got stuck within the first 200 meters of the women’s 6-kilometer race.

“Growing up running in California, I rarely got to run courses like that unless I traveled out of state,” Murakami said. “Everyone has to deal with it, so you can’t be unhappy with it.”

Murakami, who has led the Bruins in all five races, did so once again en route to another 13th place finish overall in 21:19.

Now, the All-West Region and second-team All-Pac-10 performer will hope to land another top-20 performance at the NCAA Championships and also to make a statement for UCLA cross country that returns the entire women’s team next year.

The women’s team has jumped three slots to finish seventh in Pac-10, while leaping from 17th to 11th in the region.

Last year it may have been unlikely that Murakami would be leading the Bruins. And it may be even more unlikely that the women’s team would emerge from last place in the conference.

But it did. It adapted to and was able to buy into Braden’s coaching schemes.

“I think this has been possible because the coaching change was positive for the team,” Murakami said. “I also think that everyone has worked really, really hard ““ harder than last year.”

Murakami, along with senior Marco Anzures of the men’s team who placed 11th in the 10k with a time of 30:59.48, will likely be the only Bruins represented at nationals.

“Marco ran an outstanding, fantastic race,” Braden said. “He ran smart and just dug down. To qualify as an individual for nationals is pretty exclusive. For him and Shannon to both qualify as individuals is very exciting.”

For Anzures, nationals may very well be his final collegiate race. As the men’s team finished seventh in a group of 26 teams, there will only be a slight chance the team receives a bid to compete at nationals.

“It has been a great season ““ there have been ups and downs, but there’s more to come,” Braden said. “We’re going to cross our fingers; we need a minor miracle, but we’re not completely out of it yet.”

The team isn’t content with Anzures and Murakami just qualifying, however.

“We’re going to nationals to do something, to compete, and both of them are capable of bringing home All-American honors,” Braden said. “That will be the goal.”

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