Men’s Cross Country Takes 4th at Big West, Women Take 6th

Saturday, November 2

Riverside, Calif.

8:30 A.M.

UC Riverside

Big West Conference Championship

Photo by: Carlos Puma

Men’s Cross Country Takes 4th at Big West, Women Take 6th

11/2/2019 7:28:00 PM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

RIVERSIDE – The UC Riverside cross country teams took on the home course for the third and final time this season as they competed in the Big West Conference Championships. The men's squad placed fourth for the second consecutive year. The women finished in sixth for the third time in four years.

The standout performances came from the men in the 8k as Jon Lee broke through for a career run as he finished third overall with a run of 24:34.72. Lee's finish in the Big West was the first top-3 finish since 2014 for Riverside.

When asked about having one of his top performances in a big moment, Lee gave credit to his team and coaches, "I just feel so blessed and fortunate to be able to be running for a school like UCR. To be able to run with such great teammates and to be coached by this coaching staff."

Senior Arman Irani also ran an outstanding race as he placed fifth overall as he ran for a time of 24:40.96. It was the first time in the school's history that the Highlanders had two top-5 finishers and it was the first time in 10 years that UCR has had two top-10 finishers.

Lee believed firmly in the game plan that the coaching staff laid out and he was able to execute it. The plan was to remain conservative in the beginning of the race and not let the emotions of the championships take over.

Assistant Coach Rob Hansen spoke in my detail about execution, "The guys didn't get caught up in the emotional high in the first mile which was important. The game plan was to be a little conservative for the first couple miles and then increase the tempo later on."

Sophomore Antonio Carbajal ran a strong race as he placed 17^th with a run of 25:27.57. He was followed by senior James Sever who finished 31^st while running for a time of 26:06.00. Coming in 37^th and 38^th was sophomore Isaac Acosta and junior Austin Dai, respectively.

"It was great to see Tony, James, Isaac and Austin run solid races. They were such great complementary pieces to Arman and Jon. They were a big reason why we finished fourth and I'm very proud of that group," Hansen said.

These close groupings are what allowed the team to finish as high as fourth with the top-two runners finishing in the top-5.

Director of Cross Country/Track and Field Nate Browne spoke about his excitement for the group, "Having two top-5 finishers is a testament to their hard work, it's a testament to their training plan and their belief in that training plan. It's always nice to see belief match the plan and then being able to execute it. I'm very proud of the guys."

The women's side showed a lot of fight and did enough to qualify for the NCAA West Regionals with the men as well. The team was once again led by senior Emily Sanchez who finished 23^rd in the 6k with a time of 21:43.71.

"Emily did a nice job of leading the way. She stayed steady and consistent throughout the whole race which allowed her to finish the way she did, "Hansen said.

Junior Haley Cabrera finished 34^th in the race as she ran a 22:03.26. Cabrera and Sanchez continued to be the 1-2 punch for the Highlanders in this race as they had been throughout the season.

Another solid performance came from junior Kylie Atwood and seniors Samantha Poliakon and Leslie Rivera. The group ran steadily together as Atwood finished 43^rd while Poliakon came in 47^th and Rivera in 52^nd.

Hansen spoke about this group's performance, "I think this group (Atwood, Poliakon and Rivera) did a great job in the second half of the race. They showed how gritty they were, and they were able to separate late. They did a good job."

The teams are building a lot of momentum at the right time of year and the confidence level is at an all-time high.

"The team is looking great. Today really showed the fitness level that we're at. We're all excited but especially for Arman since he's in his final year. It's such a blessing to be able to compete in the Regionals. We are going to keep doing what we're doing and trusting the coaches," Lee said about making it to the Regionals.

Although the weather isn't expected to be ideal in Washington for the Regionals, the team will be focused and determined to build off of that momentum.

A video recap of the championships can be found here.

The NCAA West Regionals will be November 15 at the Colfax Golf Club in Colfax, California. The race will be hosted by Washington State. Women's 6k will be at 11:30 a.m. while men's 10k will be at 12:30 p.m.