CROSS COUNTRY — UCSD’s cross country teams won their second victories of the season on Sept. 21 when they traveled to Cal State San Bernardino to compete in the Coyote Invitational. The Triton harriers provided a compelling, if not dominating, presence at Glen Helen Regional Park, ultimately scoring first-place showings for both the men’s and women’s teams.
Freshman sensation Bre Schofield demonstrated her powerful spirit when she seized first place in the women’s 6,000-meter run with a time of 22:09, which secured victory by an impressive 14-second margin. Schofield, who is no stranger to excellence, was named the California Collegiate Athletic Association female runner of the week just one week prior to the race.
Equally notable are the teammates who joined Schofield in placing in the top 10 for the women’s event. Clocking in at 23:17, 23:42 and 23:46 respectively, seniors Amanda Keuhn, Ashleigh Montgomery and Jessica DiMascio contributed significantly to the team’s first-place finish as the runners took third, sixth and eighth place respectively. According to team captain Montgomery, an exciting start to the 2008 season is something she values highly and regards with pride.
“Definitely as a senior, these [races] carry more weight because it’s the last time that I will compete at this level. [Cross country] has truly meant a lot to me over the years,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery attributes her prowess and success as a runner to her ability to think positively during critical moments of the race.
“I try to get a good start and start out fast,” she said. “I try to carry that momentum as far as I possibly can.”
Paralleling the women’s strong performance, the men’s team pulled a first-place victory, with five of the Tritons finishing within the top 10 at the men’s 8,000-meter event. Leading the Triton victors was senior Jake LeVieux, seven seconds shy of first with a time of 25:32. Following suit came senior Gabe LaMothe at 26:15, junior Max Mullender at 26:40 and junior Jesse Morrill at 26:41, earning fourth, sixth and seventh place respectively. Freshman John Svet tailed the pack with a time of 26:48.
According to LeVieux, his success as a harrier can be attributed to an unwavering focus and strong mindset.
“Basically I’m just struggling with myself to keep the pace,” he said. “Early in the race it’s not that bad. With running you pretty much have to fight yourself in a way; you have to choose to hurt for a little longer, and you have to be strong mentally.”
UCSD emerged from the races with solid team scores. The women received a total of 30 points, which put the Tritons 33 points ahead of second-place Cal Poly Pomona. The men’s team totaled 29, which surpassed Cal Poly Pomona by a 14-point margin.
“I was really proud of how our athletes performed today,” head coach Nate Garcia said. “It was really great to see them reap the rewards of all the hard work they’ve been putting in during the year.”
Garcia, who is entering his second year as head coach, took both teams to the NCAA Division-II National Championships last season. His goals include building upon the team’s history of top rankings.
“The program’s whole goal is to elevate ourselves to have the best year in Division II,” Garcia said. “We hope to continue to take steps this year and to finish higher at the national level, as well as to improve our standings from last year.”
The course at Glen Helen Regional Park will serve as the site for the conference championships scheduled on Oct. 25 — a noteworthy leg up for the Tritons.
“It was a big advantage to have the opportunity to race on this course,” Garcia said. “However, there will be many schools during the CCAA [Conference Championship] that were not present today and that we have not raced against before so we will have our work cut out for us. But it’s good for our athletes to see the course and not have to worry as much as to what is going to be around the corner or the next hill.”
Off to an impressive start, the runners are keeping their sights set on nationals.
“It’s definitely a special year for all the seniors and myself because we’re all working the hardest we can,” LeVieux said. “While conference is important, I would say our bigger goal awaits us at [the NCCA West Regional]. That is really special to us because schools from all over will come to compete with us at home. Regionals are where we qualify to go to nationals and that is what makes it special.”
After winning the second of just three events so far this season and with such a stacked roster to carry them on, UCSD seems well on its way to a recored-breaking 2008.
