Women look to finish in top-five
After finishing seventh at the NCAA championships last year, the women’s cross country team heads into the fall season as a legitimate force in both Pac-10 and national competition.
Following a second-place finish at the USF invitational on Sept. 4, the team has cracked the top-10, sharing a No. 8 national ranking with Princeton.
“I think we could be a top-five team this year,” tenth-year coach Eric Peterson said. “But we have to go out and prove that.”
While the team lost scorers Valerie Flores and Melissa McBain to graduation, the squad still boasts a depth unparalleled in recent years with five of last year’s top seven returning this season.
Alejandra Barrientos redshirted her 2003 season in order to ensure a healthy five-year career at UCLA, but was back in action at the 2004 season opener. Sophomore Alison Costello and junior Jenna Timinski were the top finishers for the team at USF.
MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY: On the men’s side, a trio of experienced seniors is expected to lead the Bruins’ men’s cross country team through the season.
While seniors Ben Aragon, Erik Emilsson and Jon Rankin were also touted as the key factors of last year’s campaign, Eric Peterson, in his fifth season as the men’s coach, stresses that the group now has the right experience under their belts.
“They are capable and experienced at a level we’ve never had before,” Peterson said.
While Emilsson was the only Bruin to represent the team at the NCAA Championships last year, Aragon now has the advantage of winning a Pac-10 title in track, and Rankin has established himself as the early leader, driving the Bruins to the top in the season’s opening meet.
Austin Ramos, UCLA’s top runner as a true freshman during the 2003 regular season, did not run at USF after failing to be cleared to compete due to a stress fracture he suffered last winter. However, he has been practicing with the team.
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