Back in August, the UCLA men’s cross country team had ambitions to return to the NCAA Championships and strive for a top-10 finish. However, those hopes were shattered at the West Region Championships, where the Bruins’ seventh-place finish failed to land the team an at-large bid in today’s national race.
“There was a high degree of disappointment that we all felt by coming up a little short from qualifying for nationals,” coach Eric Peterson said. “The fact of the matter is that our team is stronger this year than it was last year.”
Still, the Bruins had three athletes earn All-West Region honors, with seniors Austin Ramos (17th overall) and Kyle Shackleton (18th), and redshirt junior Drew Shackleton (21st). Although the team will not be in Terre Haute, Ind. to build off of last year’s landmark season, the three athletes earned individual entry bids for their performances and will be targeting All-America honors.
Each of the three athletes is very capable of producing favorable results, but they will be racing as individuals for the first time this season, which is a factor when it comes to strategy. Aside from not having to run with a team-oriented mind-set, the runners will also endure a course increase of 2 kilometers.
“I’m not sure there is a benefit to (running as an individual), but there is a definite change in focus,” Peterson said. “Sometimes when you run in a team concept, an athlete will run with a couple teammates in mind. The runner has a role and a responsibility to the team while they are competing. When the team aspect goes away, they have the opportunity to leave that responsibility and focus solely on their own effort.”
Today’s race will mark the second time that the Bruins make the trip to Terre Haute this season. In the pre-NCAA race on Oct. 13, Ramos ran to a 15th-place finish, leading UCLA to an eighth-place team finish.
“It is really important to me,” Ramos said. “I have worked about seven to eight years of my life toward this one goal. You have to stay focused and really compete to the best of your abilities. It is going to be one of the most important races of my life. I definitely want to do well and represent the university well.”
Ramos has been the Bruins’ top finisher in each of the races he has competed in this season. Although he was not a part of the team that qualified for nationals last year, Ramos has been the unquestioned team leader this year.
For the Shackleton twins, it will be the last time they run alongside one another in a cross country competition.
“It is really satisfying (to race alongside my brother),” Kyle said. “It was obviously disappointing not to have the whole team out there, but it would have been twice as disappointing if it were just me without him there. I’ve ran with him in every race my entire life.”
It is likely that this is the most important race in the lives of Ramos and Kyle, and the same could be said for Drew if he had not redshirted the 2004 season. For that same reason, Drew is the early favorite to be the leader on next season’s squad. According to Peterson, the opportunity to compete as a junior will help him develop experience for the future.
“If I can be successful, I feel like I will be the expected leader coming back to give the team a whole lot more confidence and drive,” Drew said. “This will definitely be a good experience, especially if I can be an All-American. Having one is far more encouraging to the team than otherwise not having one.”
While the trio’s primary focus is to finish the season on a high note, there is still the goal of showing that this year’s team is worthy of contending with the best in the nation.
“If all three of us can get All-American honors, it will really prove that our whole team should be there and that it would been better if our team was in (the race),” Ramos said. “That outcome would make the season a success for me.”
Even though Peterson would have liked the team to be a part of the highly competitive meet, he will have three determined runners at his disposal.
“I’m really proud of these guys,” Peterson said. “They’ve led our team with honor and distinction. We couldn’t ask for better guys to represent UCLA as distance runners. They’ve worked very hard up to this point and you love to see seniors go out on top. And they have an opportunity to do just that.”