The UCLA men’s and women’s cross country teams both took first
place on Friday at the NCAA Inter-Regional Jamboree, held at the Haggin Oaks
Golf Complex in Sacramento.
The Bruins defeated regionally ranked teams at the event.
The men, who were ranked No. 2 regionally in a preseason poll conducted by the US Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association and have since moved to No. 3, lived up to their ranking by defeating No. 8 Cal Poly and No. 15 UC Davis, which came in second and third place respectively.
The women, who were ranked No. 7 in the preseason poll and have since moved to No. 9, surpassed expectations and defeated No. 6 UC Davis, which ended up taking third place at the meet.
Although neither the men nor the women had a first-place individual finish for UCLA, junior Kelsey Smith took third, as did sophomore Sergey Sushchickh for the men’s team.
Other Bruins placed in the individual top 10, including juniors Annie Mooney (fifth) and Daniel Herrera (ninth).
Next up, the Bruins are hosting the UCLA Double Dual on Friday, Oct. 11th. The men will face the alumni and Cerritos Junior College while the women will race USC.
Compiled by Michelle Epps, Bruins Sports reporter.