UCLA
Washington Invitational
Cross Country Impresses in First Test of the Season
October 04, 2014 | Cross Country
SEATTLE, Wash. – The UCLA men's and women's cross country teams put together an impressive performance against a stacked field Saturday at the Washington Invitational. The men finished second with 72 points while the women placed fourth with 134 points on the Jefferson Park Golf Course.
"It was a fun meet to be a part of," coach Forest Braden said. "The Washington track and field staff put on a phenomenal meet. I thought both teams ran well. We executed the race plan very well and closed the races well."
In a men's field that featured nine ranked teams in the top-30 and five in the top-10, the 21st-ranked UCLA squad placed second overall with 72 points, trailing only No. 2 ranked NAU with 62 points.
The Bruin pack, led by Lane Werley proved to be vital to the success on the 8K course as Werley placed ninth overall with a time of 23:40 and was followed by three more Bruin harriers in consecutive order.
Jonah Diaz crossed the line in 10th with a 23:41 and was attached at the hip by Nick Hartle, who finished 11th with an identical time of 23:41. Sergey Sushchickh closed out the pack in 12th with a time of 23:42.
The fifth finisher for the Bruins was Myles Smith, who crossed the line in 30th overall with a time of 24:12. Sean Davis placed 54th with a time of 24:49 while Chase Zukerman followed in 60th place at 24:59. Austin O'Neil (70th, 25:05) and Michael McCabe (75th, 25:18) rounded out the competition for UCLA.
"Our top pack did an excellent job today," said Braden. "Seeing our four boys rolling together the last 400 was fun to see. Myles Smith also did a good job for us to round out our top 5. He is a tough dude and ran with a lot of heart today."
The UCLA women placed fourth overall with 134 points as Oregon won the competition with 48 points in a field that featured four ranked teams.
"Our women raced tough and showed that we can be force in the west," Braden said. "It was the best team effort in several years for our women and I am proud of the way they represented the university."
Kelsey Smith led the Bruins with a top-10 finish, placing seventh overall with a time of 20:33. Annie Mooney was 27th overall at 21:02 while Bronte Golick was close by in 31st with a time of 21:06.
The duo of Emily Scharmann (34th, 21:12) and Meghan Marvin (35th, 21:13) came in together while Aliya Shirif (38th, 21:15) and Roni Yamane (52nd, 21:28) rounded out the top-7 for the Bruins. Newcomers Valerie Morrison (75th, 21:43) and Jessica Cushing-Murray (91st, 22:06) also competed for the Bruins.
"We need to continue to improve to accomplish the goals we set at the beginning of the season but I am confident we will do so," Braded added.
UCLA will host its lone meet of the season next week. The Bruins will welcome rival USC in the Dual at the Rose Bowl on Thursday, Oct. 9. The women will start the meet at 5:30 p.m. with a 5K and will be followed by the men's 8K at 6 p.m.
Players Mentioned
