UCLA
Pac-12 Championships
UCLA Men and Women Finish Fifth and Sixth at Pac-12 Championships
October 27, 2012 | Cross Country
The UCLA men's and women's cross country teams were impressive once again on Saturday finishing fifth and sixth, respectively, in the Pac-12 Championships, which was hosted by the Bruins at Robinson's Ranch Golf Course in Santa Clarita, Calif. UCLA sophomore Lane Werley led the men's team with a fifth place overall finish, while sophomore Bronte Golickfinished in 29th place overall for the women.
"We ran solid and consistent. In the Pac-12 Championships you have to be ready to fight every single step of the way and every person is going to be coming for you," said UCLA Distance Coach Forest Braden. "But, I thought it was a good day overall and we had some great performances. We didn't run a perfect race, but if we run just a little bit better at regionals then we'll be in great shape."
A native of Riverside, CA, Werley posted a time of 23:33, just nine seconds off the winning pace of defending NCAA Cross Country champion Lawi Lalang of Arizona. He ran a smart race with a strong finish over the final kilometer to earn fifth overall.
"Lane ran a very smart race and looked really good coming home, said Braden following the race." He's just going to keep getting better and better and I'm really excited about that."
On Werley's heels was redshirt senior David McDonald, who claimed 19th overall with a time of 24:06. He was followed by juniors Nohe Lema and Dustin Fay in 27th and 28th overall, respectively, and tied in a time 24:17 at the finish line. Coming in fifth for the Bruins was redshirt freshman Sergey Sushchikhin 24:25 for 34th overall.
On the women's side, the Bruins were led by Golick of Mission Viejo, CA, who posted the team's best time in 21:08.
"I was really proud of the team today," said Golick. "We were together for basically the whole race and we were able to finish really strong. We had a good result and I'm really excited for regionals."
Bruin sophomore Annie Mooney and redshirt sophomore Kelsey Smith battled back and forth throughout the race with Mooney posting a time of 21:17 and Smith just a second behind her. Rounding out UCLA's top five racers were senior captain Katja Goldring, who took 35th in a time of 21:23, and sophomore Hannah Valenzuela, who came in 45th overall with a time of 21:46.
"It was nice to have successfully concluded hosting the Pac-12 Championships," added Braden. "It was a lot of work and we had tons of help out there to put together a beautiful course."
The meet was covered by the Pac-12 Networks and will be broadcasted on tape delay. Tape-delayed coverage will air on these dates: Nov. 5 - 6 p.m. PT, Nov. 6 - 7 p.m. PT, Nov. 7 - 11 p.m. PT, Nov. 8 - 6 a.m. PT, Nov. 8 - 11 a.m. PT.
Next, the Bruins will head to Seattle, WA, to face off in the NCAA West Regional meet on November 9.
Men's Individual Results
1. Lane Werley, 23:33
2. David McDonald, 24:06
3. Nohe Lema, 24:17
4. Dustin Fay, 24:17
5. Sergey Sushchikh, 24:25
6. Daniel Herrera, 24:44
7. Chase Zukerman, 24:47
8. Jacob Wood, 25:11
9. Patrick Douglas, 25:29
10. Daniel Rosales, 25:50
Team Results (top 5 of 9)
1. Colorado, 49 points
2. Stanford, 82 points
3. Oregon, 105 points
4. Arizona State, 109 points
5. UCLA, 113 points
Women's Individual Results
1. Bronte Golick, 21:08
2. Annie Mooney, 21:17
3. Kelsey Smith, 21:18
4. Katja Goldring, 21:23
5. Hannah Valenzuela, 21:46
6. Sadee Martinez, 22:25
7. Sarah Toberty, 22:34
8. Caitlin Schmitt, 22:47
9. Lyndsey Mull, 22:49
10. Jen Owen, 23:58
Team Results(top 5 of 12)
1. Oregon, 47 points
2. Arizona, 69 points
3. Stanford, 82 points
4. Washington, 92 points
5. Colorado, 124 points
6. UCLA, 172 points
Players Mentioned
