Nov. 10, 1997
Golden Bears at NCAA West Region Championship
THIS WEEK
Sat. Nov. 15 at NCAA West Region Championship
Men 9:30 a.m., Women 10:45 a.m. Dell Urich Golf Course, Tucson, Arizona
BEARS AT NCAA REGIONAL:
The California men's and women's cross country teams travel to Tucson, Arizona for the NCAA West Region Championship on Saturday, Nov. 15. The meet will be run on the Dell Urich Golf Course, with the men's 8,000m race beginning at 9:30 a.m., followed by the women's 5,000m race at 10:45 a.m. There are nine regional championships being run on Nov. 15, with the top two teams in each region advancing to the NCAA Championship, Nov. 24 at Furman University in South Carolina. In addition, the top three individual finishers (that are not on a qualifying team) from each region will advance, along with three additional qualifiers selected at large.
REGION HISTORY:
Last season, the Cal women finished sixth at the NCAA Region 8 meet (now called the West Region), their highest finish since a second place regional finish in 1988. Elissa Riedy, now a junior, was Cal's top finisher in 19th place. The Cal men finished in 14th place at the NCAA Region 8 meet last season, with Simon Mudd, now a junior, finishing 42nd to lead the Bears. Cal's best Region 8 men's finish was fourth place in 1989, while the women's best finish was second place in 1988. Individually, the best finish for a Cal woman at this level was a first place finish by Suzanne Richter in 1981. For the Cal men, the best finish was second place by Tom Downs in 1982.
PAC-10 RESULTS:
The Cal men finished seventh and the Golden Bear women finished eighth at the Pac-10 Conference Championships Nov. 1 at Stanford. Sophomore Peter Gilmore was Cal's top male finisher, taking fifth place, while junior Elissa Riedy claimed sixth place to lead the women. Rounding out the Golden Bear men's squad was freshman Bolota Asmerom (33rd), junior transfer Chris Maier (34th), junior Steve Moreno (36th), sophomore Steve Immel (38th), sophomore Steve Hansen (49th) and junior Peter Egerton (51st). The rest of the Cal women's lineup included junior Lori Riedy (26th), sophomore Oasii Lucero (37th), freshman Tiffany Hansen (55th), freshman redshirt Ally Lombardi (59th) and junior transfer Ashley Zongker (61st).
HEAD COACH:
Cal head coach Tony Sandoval is in his sixth season at the helm of the combined men's and women's cross country program, after heading up the Bears women's program since 1982. He is assisted fby Richie Boulet, a six-time All-American at Cal, and Magdalena Lewy, a former Bear cross country runner and All-American trackster.
BEAR BITS:
Junior Elissa Riedy has finished in the Top 10 of all five meets in which she has competed this season, including winning the individual title at the California/Nevada State Championships at Cal Poly SLO Oct. 18 (18:02), and sixth at the Pac-10 Championships. Riedy finished 19th at the 1996 NCAA Region 8 meet and 34th in 1995 as a freshman. Her twin sister, Lori Riedy, posted the first win of her collegiate careeer at the UC Davis Aggie Invitational Oct. 4 (17:54). Lori finished 36th at the 1996 NCAA Region 8 meet. Sophomore Peter Gilmore captured a first place finish at the California/Nevada State meet Oct. 18, and has four Top 10 finishes this season. Gilmore, who redshirted last season, finished 37th at the 1995 NCAA Region 8 Championship. The Bears top finisher at the NCAA Region 8 meet last year was junior Simon Mudd, who was 42nd.
1997 California Men's & Women's Cross Country Results
9/6 at Nevada Invitational Women - 2nd of 4 teams Men - 2nd of 3 teams
9/20 at Fresno Invitational Women - 3rd of 10 teams Men "B" - 5th of 8 teams
9/27 at Stanford Invitational Women - 5th of 19 teams Men - 7th of 16 teams
10/4 at Aggie Invitational Women "B" - 4th of 25 teams Men "B" - 6th of 20 teams
10/11 at San Francisco State Invitational Women - no team finish Men "B" - 1st of 9 teams
10/18 at Cal-Nevada State Champs Women - 3rd of 16 teams Men - 2nd of 19 teams
11/1 at Pac-10 Championships Women - 8th of 9 teams Men - 7th of 8 teams
11/15 at NCAA West Region Meet Tucson, AZ 9:30 a.m./10:45 a.m.
11/24 at NCAA Championships Furman University, SC 11:00 a.m.
1997 California Men's & Women's Cross Country Results
