The UCSD men’s and women’s cross country teams will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships on Nov. 22 in Raleigh, N.C.
Each team finished second in its respective race at the 2003 NCAA Division II West Regional at Prado Park in Chino, Calif., marking the first time both UCSD teams were able to compete simultaneously at the national level since the Tritons moved to Division II.
The Tritons’ recent surge in success has been a result of strong individual bonds linking team members and the progress that many individual runners have made over the past year.
“”This was a goal the team set out to accomplish together,”” UCSD assistant coach Nate Garcia said. “”The team is very excited and the coaches are ecstatic.””
In fact, it will be the second trip to the Division II National Championships for each team since the men qualified and finished 15th in Slippery Rock, Penn., in 2001, and the women put together a 17th-place effort in Ashland, Ohio, in their first-ever appearance a year ago.
Competing against the nation’s best runners on unknown terrain renders predictions or concrete goals difficult to make for the team.
“”We want to run like our regular meets and have both sides make the top 12, but I believe that they can move up from there,”” Garcia said.
This has lead to a little anxiety for the team, since it has not faced the vast majority of the competition expected in North Carolina.
“”The Nationals has the 23 best Division II teams, most of whom we do not know,”” Garcia said. “”The guys only competed against three of them, and the girls only competed against two.””
Members of both teams have turned in strong and consistent individual performances. Freshman Tina Firouz has made a great impact on the women’s team, often pacing the Triton women.
Firouz’s efforts have paid off. She earned All-Region recognition with a sixth-place finish out of 154 in 22 minutes and 25.5 seconds at the 2003 NCAA Division II West Regional. She also finished fourth at the CCAA Championships, earning All-CCAA and CCAA Freshman of the Year honors as UCSD placed second behind Chico State in that event as well.
Junior Lindsay Stalker has also accumulated many awards for her performances, and sophomore Michelle DiMeo and seniors Amanda Felder, Lillian Gardiner and Kathy Read are other notably solid Triton point-scorers.
Strong runners on the men’s side include junior Robert Eap and senior Julian Nahan, both of whom were All-Region performers at the Division II West Regional. Freshman Steve Vargas is also an accomplished runner.
Another vital runner is Neil Kalra, the senior who helped lead the Triton men to top-three finishes at CCAA Championships earlier in the year. This was the second straight year he earned All-CCAA honors, improving on his 10th-place finish from 2002 by completing the 8,000-meter course in 24:37.7 for fourth place at that meet.
While individual performances have had a huge impact on the momentum of the team, unity and solidarity have also been key factors in the team’s success.
“”The team works as a unit. Though they score separately, they see each other as one team,”” Garcia said.
UCSD will likely maintain a strong presence with regard to both the performances of the athletes and the runners’ admirers.
“”Fan support has been something important,”” Garcia said. “”We expect a crowd of 50 UCSD friends and family in North Carolina.””
To prepare for Nationals, both teams reduced weekly mileage to run the meet fresh and confident.
“”We tapered down our miles and mixed in more workouts with spikes because the ground may become soggy in North Carolina,”” Garcia said.
At the NCAA Division II West Regional, Chico State boasted the top-ranked men’s and women’s teams in the region, had five top-10 finishers in each race help it finishing first in both events. Chico State out-distanced UCSD, 28-79 in the 10,000-meter men’s race, and 38-124 in the 6,000-meter women’s race.
The men’s title was Chico State’s second-in-a-row, while the women took home their first regional crown in history. All of this evidence suggests Chico State to be a tough opponent for UCSD.
Other prominent men’s regional rivals include the third-place finisher Cal Poly Pomona and fourth-place Western Washington. The chief local competition for the women will likely come from Chico State and Cal State Stanislaus ‹ the third-place finisher on the women’s side.
Strong results at Nationals will cap brilliant careers for some veteran graduating runners and will crown the first season for some promising new athletes.
Both teams’ momentum increased noticeably over the course of the past season, which illustrates their strength and depth. With this in mind, the Tritons will aim high when they compete this weekend.
