CROSS COUNTRY Saturday West Region
Championships Portland, Ore.
For the UCLA cross-country teams, the whole season will be
coming down to just one race.
Both the men and women’s squads will be traveling to
Portland, Ore., to compete in the West Region Championships this
weekend.
For both teams, the season will come to an end unless they peak
on Saturday.
“I like the West Regional meet because it is … a
launching pad for the championships,” coach Eric Peterson
said. “Everyone goes into the meet knowing exactly what is at
stake.”
The men have been slight overachievers thus far as the young
core of runners has shown incredible poise in running as a group.
Their precociousness has lead to some impressive victories over
more heralded opponents throughout the season, including conference
foes Washington and California. But despite the Bruins’
success, the odds are still stacked against UCLA ““ the Bruins
will be running against undoubtedly the most talented region in the
country, as the West boasts six nationally ranked teams.
“There are about nine teams in the West that have had
strong enough seasons to warrant an automatic or at-large berth to
the NCAA Championships,” Peterson said. “We feel that
we match up very well against some of those teams and feel that we
have a good a shot as any to qualify.”
The men will have to improve upon their Pac-10 finish in order
to maximize their chances to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA
meet.
Peterson believes that if his squad can finish ahead of regional
foes Arizona State, Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara, UCLA should be
able to slide in through the back door.
“If we finish in the top five in this region, it would be
pretty hard to deny us,” Peterson said.
The women, on the other hand, will have a much tougher time
trying to impress the NCAA committee enough to extend their
season.
Although the men’s region is very deep this year, the
women’s side is not quite as talent-laden.
The team has struggled to live up to expectations so far, and
Peterson is less optimistic about their chances of advancing.
“Because the region is not as strong as the
men’s,” Peterson said, “it is going to take a
much stronger performance on (the women’s) part.”
After elite teams Stanford, Arizona State and UC Santa Barbara,
the field looks to be wide open. However, the Bruins will need to
vastly improve, particularly at the end of their lineup, it they
hope to contend.
If the team does not qualify, Peterson is still very confident
that UCLA will be represented in the NCAA Championships by two
runners: sophomore Allie Bohannon and redshirt senior Ashley
Caldwell, as both look strong enough to move on. The duo has paced
the team all year, and this weekend should be no different.
Any teams or individuals who advance will head to Terre Haute.
Ind., where the NCAA Championships will be held, in two weeks.