Author: Michael Smith
Last Saturday the men’s and women’s cross country teams went forth, vying for victory at two dual locations.
Seven men and eight women traveled to the University of Washington to participate in the Sundodger Invitational, while the remaining members of both teams traveled to Riverside, CA to participate in the UC Riverside Invitational. Both teams performed well in the heat of the races.
Leading the Occidental men’s team in the Riverside race was Mario Castillo (first-year) with a time of 26:27.4, while the first finisher of the women’s team was Denali Halsey (senior) with a time of 20:09.0. Eric Kleinasser (sophomore) ran an incredible race at the Sundodger Invitational placing fifth out of 211 runners, while Phoebe Merritt (first-year) placed seventh out of 202 runners.
According to Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Coach Rob Bartlett, the teams are already making progressive strides.
“Both races last weekend went really well,” Bartlett said. “We made some improvements from the previous weekend when we raced at Redlands. We still have a lot of work to do, but I’m pleased with where we are, given that it’s still early in the season.”
Even though the season has just begun, the accomplishments of the teams are starting to build. At the UC Riverside Invitational, the women’s team garnered eighth place, while the men earned the 28th spot.
At the Sundodger Invitational, the men’s team placed 12th with the help of strong runners like Victor Kali (senior) and Charlie Sauter (first-year).
The women’s team carried themselves to an eighth place victory backed by determined runners Megan Lang (first-year) and Sadie Mohler (sophomore).
The teams’ races were aided by their recent camping trip to Morro Bay State Park. The trip served as a way for both teams to unwind before the fervor of the season kicked in.
“It was pretty laid back, we just went running and went to the beach and stuff,” Lang said. “It was cool to hang out with them for the whole weekend. We squished like seven freshman girls into one tent, which was quite a feat.”
This close-quartered companionship will hopefully help the teams acquire future victories.
Though British Columbia and Alaska Anchorage won the men’s and women’s meet at Seattle, and while BYU and Pepperdine conquered the men’s and women’s meets at Riverside, victory is always within the team’s sight.
“Everyone on the team has been doing a good job – really!” said Bartlett in an e-mail interview. “The atmosphere at practice is very positive and everyone’s working hard. Those are the two key ingredients for a successful season.”
Widely known as a sport of endurance, cross country entails a myriad of training. “We train six to seven days a week . . . our workouts are specifically focused on certain key physiological markers – lactate threshold, VO2 max as well as general aerobic adaptations,” Bartlett said.
“We also include a lot of strength and flexibility work so that the team becomes well-rounded athletes,” he added. This training will be pivotal in garnering a reputable cross country title in the season ahead.
Looking past the running and the races, the teams have taken part in a strong tradition after only a few weeks. Each member wears a necklace with a skull on it, symbolic of their achievement throughout the year.
“For every race you run really well, you get another skull,” said Lang. With the teams’ capabilities, there will be many more skulls added to each runner’s necklace this season.
On Oct. 3, the teams will journey to the Claremont Colleges to face off against rivals in the Region Preview.
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