After finishing seventh at the NCAA championships last year, the
women’s cross country team heads into the fall season as a
legitimate force in both Pac-10 and national competition.
Following a second-place finish at the USF invitational on Sept.
4, the team has cracked the top-10, sharing a No. 8 national
ranking with Princeton.
“I think we could be a top-five team this year,”
tenth-year coach Eric Peterson said. “But we have to go out
and prove that.”
While the team lost scorers Valerie Flores and Melissa McBain to
graduation, the squad still boasts a depth unparalleled in recent
years with five of last year’s top seven returning this
season.
Alejandra Barrientos redshirted her 2003 season in order to
ensure a healthy five-year career at UCLA, but was back in action
at the 2004 season opener. Sophomore Alison Costello and junior
Jenna Timinski were the top finishers for the team at USF.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: On the men’s side, a trio of
experienced seniors is expected to lead the Bruins’
men’s cross country team through the season.
While seniors Ben Aragon, Erik Emilsson and Jon Rankin were also
touted as the key factors of last year’s campaign, Eric
Peterson, in his fifth season as the men’s coach, stresses
that the group now has the right experience under their belts.
“They are capable and experienced at a level we’ve
never had before,” Peterson said.
While Emilsson was the only Bruin to represent the team at the
NCAA Championships last year, Aragon now has the advantage of
winning a Pac-10 title in track, and Rankin has established himself
as the early leader, driving the Bruins to the top in the
season’s opening meet.
Austin Ramos, UCLA’s top runner as a true freshman during
the 2003 regular season, did not run at USF after failing to be
cleared to compete due to a stress fracture he suffered last
winter. However, he has been practicing with the team.