UCLA
Roy Griak Invitational
Cross Country Places in Top 10 at Griak Invite
September 23, 2017 | Cross Country
Falcon Heights, Minn. โ The UCLA cross country team earned Top 10 finishes at the Les Bolstad Golf Course in Falcon Heights, Minn. In the second meet of the year, the Bruin men took home a third-place finish while the UCLA women placed ninth overall.
The Bruin men kicked off the action for UCLA with the Merrill Fischbein Gold Men's 8k and did not disappoint, placing two runners in the Top 3 and their remaining three scoring runners in the Top 25.
"There are many positive takeaways from today's competition," assistant coach Devin Elizondo said. "We raced in a competitive, inter-regional, national caliber field. We came into the day with the idea of making it a three-team race and we did exactly what was written."
Sophomore Garrett Reynolds led the way for the men's squad, finishing second overall in a time of 25:03.0. Junior transfer Robert Brandt had an impressive UCLA debut, as he followed Reynolds with a third-place finish and time of 25:04.4. Junior Jackson Marshall continued his strong season with a time of 25:44.8, good for 16th place. Seniors Myles Smith (18th) and Daniel De La Torre (24th) clocked in at 25:48.4 and 25:56.9, respectively, to secure the Bruin men's second consecutive Top 3 finish to start the season.
Senior Richard Ho and redshirt freshman Chris Morzenti rounded out the Bruins' Top 7, as Ho finished 33rd in a time of 26:10.9 and Morzenti took home a 40th-place finish and a time of 26:21.3.
"We had some highlights with Jackson Marshall racing consistently again followed by a strong performance by our captain Myles Smith," said Elizondo. "That gave us some depth as Robert Brandt and Garrett Reynolds fought for the win up front. We identified some areas we will target over the following weeks of the season. This will give us some lessons to ponder and improve for the next competition.
Also competing for the Bruin men were redshirt sophomore George Gleason, redshirt freshman Carter Blunt, and redshirt sophomore Colin Burke. Gleason took 41st with a time of 26:23.8, Blunt finished 58th overall with a time of 26:42.9, and Burke clocked a 28:20.4 for 115th place.
Official results are in at #Griak2017, and the UCLA men finish 3rd and the women 10th. #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/mwNgOEVQqc
โ UCLA Cross Country (@UCLAXC) September 23, 2017
The Bruin women lined up for the Jack Johnson Women's Gold Race and battled for a ninth-place finish in a field of 18 teams.
"The women had a gutsy race today," said assistant coach Jennifer DeRego. "A young crewโthree of whom had never raced a 6kโand a few veterans toed the line and braved the roller coaster, winding course in the hottest and most humid temperatures that Minnesota has had in a while."
True freshman Erika Adler continued her strong start to the season with a 23rd place finish to lead the Bruins, clocking in at 22:19.8 on the 6k course. Sophomore Cassandra Durgy took 37th overall with a time of 22:46.1 and redshirt sophomore Jackie Garner followed in 58th place with a time of 23:08.5. Freshmen Christina Rice and Marisa Villegas rounded out UCLA's Top 5, with Rice finishing 80th overall in a time of 23:30.4 and Villegas taking 87th at 23:36.4. Senior Roni Yamane finished at 24:06.9 for 108th place finish and senior Jessica Cushing-murray took 119th at 24:15.2 to complete the Bruins' Top 7.
"I'm proud of the women regardless of their finish place," DeRego said. "Their commitment to the team and to their training will continue to build and they'll be ready when it counts in the end of the season."
Redshirt freshman Kelly Bernd, junior Taylor Taite, and redshirt freshman Lilly Schmidt rounded out UCLA's full squad. Bernd took home 128th place and a time of 24:29.1, Taite finished 131st overall with a time of 24:34.9, and Schmidt clocked a 25:04.3 for 145th.
The Bruins will be back in action for the Master's University Invitational in Santa Clarita on Saturday, Sept. 30.
Players Mentioned
