For two weeks, the men’s and women’s UCLA cross country teams have eagerly awaited an opportunity to prove themselves against a field of four ranked squads at the Pac-10 Championships.
The men’s team longed to climb up the rankings after a subpar performance in Indiana, while the women’s team looked to erase the memory of last year’s last-place finish. In this sense, a poor performance would have badly damaged the team’s chances to advance to nationals.
But the Bruins, led by three seniors, Marco Anzures (9th, 23:24), Marlon Patterson (16th, 23:38) and Alex Crabill (24th, 23:55), were able to capture fifth place, falling just three points short of fourth-place Washington.
“Those three guys ““ Alex, Marco and Marlon ““ have been leading the team all year, and it was no different today,” assistant coach Forest Braden said. “This was the season’s biggest race so far, and Marco had a tremendous race. He put himself in perfect position right off the bat, and he hung in there until the end where he was able to pass a couple of people at the line.”
With just 67 total runners compared to the 237 runners that ran at pre-NCAAs, the runners had an easier time figuring out exactly where they were throughout the race. As a result, the Bruins were able to get a quality start out of the gate, yet were able to run a little more conservatively after going out too hard in Terre Haute.
“Marco and Alex were right in the pack, but ran smart early while everyone else was a little more conservative,” Braden said. “We still went out pretty fast, but we put ourselves in the mix but not out in front, and it still worked out well.”
Perhaps the most encouraging element of the race was the potential of the team’s youth, as freshman Zack Torres (36th, 24:23) and sophomore David McDonald (43rd, 24:34) finished in the third and fourth slots overall.
“David McDonald was a huge factor,” Braden said. “Without him, we would have slipped back a little more because he filled in the gaps. He stepped up and did a great job, and I’m proud of what he was able to accomplish and proud of his mental tenacity and toughness.”
The youthful women’s team improved three places up to seventh. Particularly encouraging was redshirt junior Rosa Magana’s performance.
A converted 800 meter runner, Magana has had to adjust her approach to the 6k races. Her approach led her to a second-place finish on the team in 21:26, good for 45th overall.
“From day one, there has been improvement,” Braden said. “She’s been learning how to race the 5k, 6k. Every race she gets a little bit better, runs a little faster. I look for her to continue her success at regionals.”
Junior Shannon Murakami again led the Bruins, finishing 13th in 20:24, a near two-minute improvement from her time last year.
With Pac-10 regionals knocking at the door, the team remains optimistic of their chances.
“I think our best race is yet to come,” Braden said. “The way we have been training, we are going to be at our best for regionals. It’s going to be muddy, it’s going to be sloppy ““ it’s going to be a true cross country course. We have to be ready for that and compete and put it on the line and get it done.”