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Erik Emilsson ran in the Cal Poly Invitational with a time of 26:41.1.

The UCLA women’s cross country team placed ninth Saturday at the NCAA preview in Terre Haute, Indiana. Despite the ninth-place finish, there was a bright spot for the Bruins – junior Lena Nilsson.

In her cross country debut, Nilsson placed ninth overall, setting a school record with a time of 20:28.2 on the 6000-meter course. The decision to run Nilsson in this meet was made by coach Eric Peterson – one week earlier than he had planned.

Peterson described Nilsson’s performance with one word: “Sensational.” Nilsson’s time was over two minutes faster than her previous record at this distance.

Also running for the Bruins were sophomore Alejandra Barrientos, who placed 59th and freshman Jenna Timinsky who placed 65th. Sophomores Lori Mann and Carmen Winant came in 68th and 96th, respectively. Junior Melissa McBain also put in a solid performance, running in the open race with a time of 21:52. This gave her the fifth fastest UCLA individual time for this meet.

Competition between the women’s cross country team this weekend was tough. With 10 spots to fill for the Pac-10 Championships on Nov. 2, Peterson said the meet was a preview of what can be expected from each of the runners.

“This just solidifies our top twenty ranking,” Peterson said.

The UCLA men’s cross county team competed in the Cal Poly Invitational Saturday in San Luis Obispo. The men took first at the Invitational, with sophomore Ben Aragon leading the Bruins with his third place overall finish.

Sophomore Erik Emilsson also finished in the top ten, finishing fifth with a time of 26:41.1. Freshman Martell Munquia followed in ninth place, posting a very large improvement over his previous finishes. Sophomore Puneet Mahan and senior Phil Young placed 13th and 20th, respectively. Sophomore Jon Rankin is still recovering from an injury, and hopes to be back for the Pac-10 Championships.

Both teams are scheduled to compete in the Cal State Fullerton Invitational this Saturday. UCLA will also be hosting the 2002 Pac-10 Cross Country Championships at the Brookside Golf Course in Pasadena, Nov. 2.