Women Look to Defend Their Title; Both Squads Tackle Stacked Fields
DONS SOCIAL MEDIA HUB | VIDEOPREVIEW | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
By Scott Bergen, USFDons.com
(San Francisco) - The USF Cross Country teams return to Crystal Springs Cross Country Course in Belmont for the first time since their spectacular performance at the 2010 WCC Championships. The No. 29 Dons' women's team will be looking to repeat as champions for the third consecutive year and then men have the tall task of hanging onto last year's second place finish, the best in program history.
The women's 6K race will start the morning off on Saturday, October 29 at 9 am, with the men taking to their 8K course at 9:45 am.
For the first time, this year's meet will also be streamed live online on the Cross Country Championships Central page at WCCsports.com and on YouTube.com. Cameras will be at the start and finish and several key points along the courses, and commentators will be on hand to keep viewers up to date.
The USF women's team has been crowned champs in 2009 and 2010, the first titles in school history and is a favorite again in 2011. The arrival of BYU, ranked No. 4 in the NCAA Mountain Region and as high as No. 14 nationally this season, into the WCC this season makes the task tougher than ever.
"With the addition of a quality program such as BYU and the conference's expansion to 9 runners, the field will be a bit larger this year," commented USF head coach Helen Lehman-Winters. "This is a great thing as on a course as tough and hilly as Crystal, the field tends to spread out quite a bit after the first mile. With more bodies out there, there will be more people to race which should lend to better performances all the way around."
Like the Dons, BYU features tremendous depth. The Cougars' front-runner, Morgan Haws was fifth at the prestigious Wisconsin Adidas Invitational, the only meet in which the Dons have face BYU this season. USF finished 17th, BYU 22nd. Loyola Marymount boasts the 2010 WCC individual champion and All-American, senior Tara Erdmann, as well as the third place finisher from 2010, junior Sheree Shea. Last year's runners up, Portland, feature transfer Merel Van Steenbergen who placed 35th in the Midatlantic regional in 2010 and a strong pack to support her.
The Dons average time of 21:21 at the 2010 WCC Championships was the fastest in program history and three key contributors return this year, buoyed by the appearance of new front-runner, Laura Suur. Suur will be joined on the course by Chloe Treleven, Sophie Curl, Maor Tiyouri, Alice Baker, Hayley Niles, Katherine Jamboretz, Mary Sandi and Sahar Bala. Niles and Baker are the lone runners competing who also ran for the WCC Championship in 2009.
The men's race shows off a caliber of teams that has never been seen in the WCC. The Dons are once again looking up at the No. 8 Portland Pilots, who are going for their 33rd consecutive WCC title, but also the No. 3 BYU Cougars, who add significant depth to the 2011 men's race. Portland and BYU are second in the West and first in the Mountain regions respectively. Gonzaga is the only other WCC men's team getting NCAA honors, currently ranked 14th in the West. The Dons came up just shy of knocking off the then-No. 15 Pilots in last year's meet, losing by just seven points - the closest margin in conference history.
The depth of competition this year is doing little to quash the hopes of the Dons. "We always look forward to the championship season and this year is no different," said Lehman-Winters. "Both our men and women are healthy, fit and highly motivated to perform at their best on Saturday."
En route to the program's first even second place finish in 2010, the men's team put up the fastest average time in school history at 25:27. Then freshman Jose Madera and currently redshirted Ganbileg Bor were second and third in 2010. Madera has returned with a stellar sophomore season, but has been joined at the front of the Dons' pack by several teammates, including Jeremy Grace and Will Marquardt, each of whom has been the Dons' No. 1 man at various races throughout the season.
Jesus Romo, Michael Barnes, Gus Mena, Jordan Baker, Jason Waldram, and Charlie Johansen round out the Dons' nine.
DIRECTIONS:
From Highway 101
1. Exit Highway 92 West
2. Exit Ralston Avenue
3. At light, turn LEFT and head South on Ralston Avenue
4. Turn RIGHT onto Hallmark
5. Drive through three stop signs (last is Wakefield)
6. Driveway to course is 5-6 homes past Wakefield. Driveway is between the last two houses on the right-hand side of the road (if you've passed all the houses on the right, you've gone too far)
7. Take driveway to course (spectators MUST park on the street)
From Highway 280
1. Exit Highway 92 East
2. Exit Ralston Avenue (Exit 9A)
3. Left on Ralson Avenue
4. Turn RIGHT onto Hallmark
5. Follow steps 6-8 above.
NOTE: Crystal Springs Cross Country Course is NOT located at Crystal Springs Golf Courses. They are two different venues.
