2004 Archives

Men Third, Women Fifth at CS Fullerton Season Opener

(Sept. 4, 2004) - The UC Riverside Highlanders opened the 2004 cross country season with a pair of strong performances at the Cal State Fullerton Season Opener Meet at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea Saturday. The men were third among 16 teams and the women were fifth among 19 teams.

The women finished fifth among 19 teams and had a good pack finish, putting three runners among the top 21 scorers. Newcomers played a critical role in the Highlanders' success. JC transfer Rose Serna was the Highlanders top finisher in her Division I debut, placing 17th overall in 18:54.70. Senior Adriana Alvarado was 23rd in 18:57.80, while freshman Kristina Tudor was 33rd in 19:09.30 and freshman Maryanne Hanks 52nd in 19:46.30.

The men were third overall and also had a strong pack finish, placing their top five runners in the top 25 scoring finishers. Highly touted freshmen Raul Lara, Ulices Pina and Andrew Trinadad showed they were as good as advertised, all finishing within an 11-second window. Lara finished 15th in 25:41.30, Pina was 16th in 25:43.30 and Trinidad was 18th in 25:52.80. Sophomore Santiago Alonzo, who is redshirting for the Highlanders but who ran in the meet as an unattached athlete, was also in the pack, finishing 17th in 25:51.80.

Senior Ruben Espinoza was 27th in 26:04.40 and freshman Jared Bain was 28th in 26:07.20.

The Highlanders will now go to training camp at Mammoth Mountain before competing in the Stanford Invitational on September 25th.

Complete results of the men's race are here.

Complete results of the women's race are here.

Highlanders Compete at Stanford

(Sept. 25, 2004) - The UC Riverside Highlanders got back on the race course Saturday at the Stanford Invitational on the Stanford Golf Course in Palo Alto. The women finished 16th among 21 teams in the four kilometer non-scoring race, while the men finished eighth among 14 teams in their four kilometer race.

Freshman Maryanne Hanks led the way for the Highlanders, finishing 75th overall in 15:39. A pack of four runners rounded out the top five, as junior Adriana Alvarado was 83rd in 15:45, junior Rose Serna was 84th in 15:46, freshman Lisa Lopez was 87th in 15:49 and senior Melissa Garza 89th in 15:50.

For the men, freshman Ulices Pina was 35th overall in 12:50, freshman Raul Lara was 37th in 12:53, senior Ruben Espinoza was 44th in 13:04, freshman Ryan Allen was 51st in 13:09 and freshman Jared Bain was 55th in 13:12.

Individual Results Women 4K
Place No. Name Yr Yr Affiliation Wshor Pace
80 4206 Maryanne Hanks FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 15:39 6:18
90 4204 Adriana Alvarado JR JR UC RIVERSIDE 15:45 6:21
91 4208 Rose Serna JR JR UC RIVERSIDE 15:46 6:21
95 4207 Lisa Lopez FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 15:49 6:22
97 4205 Melissa Garza SR SR UC RIVERSIDE 15:50 6:23
116 4210 Kelesy Wright SR SR UC RIVERSIDE 16:21 6:35
134 4209 Kristina Tudor FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 17:00 6:51

Individual Results Men 4K
Place No. Name Yr Yr Affiliation Mshor Pace
42 4201 Ulies Pina FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 12:50 5:10
44 4200 Raul Lara FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 12:53 5:11
53 4199 Ruben Espinoza SO SO UC RIVERSIDE 13:04 5:16
61 4196 Ryan Allen FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 13:09 5:18
66 4197 Jared Bain FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 13:12 5:19
73 4202 Andrew Trinidad FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 13:27 5:25
83 4203 Nathan Wolack FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 13:38 5:29
101 4198 Joel Cota FR FR UC RIVERSIDE 14:08 5:42

Complete results of the races are here.

Highlanders To Host Nearly 600 Runners at UCR Invitational

(Sept. 30, 2004) -The UC Riverside Highlanders will welcome nearly 600 runners to their campus Saturday for the UC Riverside Invitational Cross Country meet at the Agricultural Operations Course.

The course, which runs through 100-year old orange groves and agricultural fields, is located near the intersection of Martin Luther King and Canyon Crest. It has been reconfigured to enhance viewing opportunities for spectators.

The races begin at 7:45 AM with the men's 8000 meter collegiate invitational and open race. At 8:30 am the women's 5,000 meter collegiate invitational race will begin, and at 9:00 am the women's 5,000 collegiate open will begin.

The men's race will feature 295 student-athletes and clubs. The women's invitational will feature 106 runners, while the women's open will have 215 athletes.

Admission to the races is $5.00 for adults and children 12 and over. Parking for team vans will be within the Ag/Ops complex. Team buses will drop-off teams at the entrance to theca/Ops complex on Canyon Crest . All other vehicles may park either in lot 30 ( corner of Martin Luther King & Canyon Crest) cost is $5 or across the street from the entrance at St. Andrew Orthodox Christian Church (they also will charge $5 per vehicle). A complimentary Highlander Shuttle will pick-up at both lot 30 and at Saint Andrew and take pedestrians to the AG OP entrance.

Copies will be available on site after each race or online at www.flashresults.com/flashwest/.

Highlander Men Fourth, Women Ninth at UCR Invitational

(Oct. 2, 2004) - Nearly 500 runners competed in a trio of races at the UC Riverside Invitational at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course Saturday.

In the men's combined invitational/open race, 238 runners took to the course. The Cal Coast Track Club took the overall title with a team time of 2:06:07.30 and Cal State Fullerton was the top collegiate team, finishing second overall in 2:06:41.80.

Cal Poly's Daniel Rojas and Long Beach State's Jimmy Grabow put together a tremendous race and were battling nearly stride-for-stride throughout the 8,000 meter course. Rojas pulled away with and eventually finished in 24:16.80 while Grabow was second in 24:23.40.

The women's races were split into invitational and open fields. The invitational team title was taken by Long Beach State, which finished overall kina time of 1:32:21.20, with Southern Utah finishing second in 1:32:27.80. Like the men's race, the women's race was a battle to the line between Alisha Bezanson of Southern Utah and Jenni Johnson of Cal State San Marcos. Benazon took the race, finishing the 5,000 meters in 17:31.30, with Johnson just over a second behind at 17:32.70.

In the open race, Brooke Thomas of the Cal Coast Track Club finished first in 17:21.10, followed by Kelle Taylor of See Jane Run in 17:35.70. The top collegiate finisher was Tanya Zeferjahn of Cal State San Bernardino, who finished fifth overall in 18:31.80.

The Highlander men's team finished fourth among 21 teams in the combined open/invitational race. Freshman Raul Lara led the way for the Highlanders, placing 10th overall and fourth among collegiate runners in a time of 25:05.00. Freshman Ulices Pina was 18th in 25:15.40 and freshman Nathan Wolack was 30th in 25:33. Junior Andy Padilla was 37th in 2541.20, freshman Ryan Allen 42nd in 25:46.70, and senior Ruben Espinoza rounded out the top six in 47th place at 25:51.50. Senior Paul Hansen finished 62nd in 26:14.90.

Senior Adriana Alvarado finished in 13th place overall in the women's invitational race, finishing the 5,000 meter course in 18:22.50. The next four runners for the Highlanders finished in a strong pack, led by junior Rose Serna, who was 41st in 19:04.70. Freshman Lisa Lopez was 42nd in 19:05.20, senior Kelsey Wright was 45th in 19:11.60, and senior Melissa Garza was 52nd in 19:21.20. Freshman Maryanne Hanks was 62nd in 19:37.90 and freshman Kristina Tudor finished 79th in 20:54.80. The Highlanders' team time of 1:35:05.20 was better than 18-of-19 teams running in the open meet, which followed the invitational.

In the open race, freshman Ashley Zamora was 39th in 19:48.10 and sophomore Elvira DelCastillo was 68th in 20:31.10.

Women's complete results can be found here.

Men's complete results can be found here.

Highlanders Put Themselves Up Against the Best at NCAA Pre-Nationals at ISU

(Oct. 16, 2004) - UCR Head Coach Irv Ray wanted his athletes to know what it took to run against the best collegiate athletes in the country, so he took his teams to the 2004 NCAA Pre-Nationals at Indiana State University's LaVern Gibson Championship Course. The women's team placed third among ten teams in the women's 6,000 meter open, while the men's team finished 37th in the men's 8,000 meter blue race.

Freshman Lisa Lopez was the top finisher for the Highlanders, placing 41st overall in 23:01.7. Senior Melissa Garza was 53rd in 23:11.9 and senior Adriana Alvarado was 65th in 23:20.8. The Highlanders finished with a team total of 95 points, third overall behind Northern Illinois (69) and Wisconsin-Milwaukee (76).

The men's race was a struggle for the Highlanders, who finished last in the 37 team field. Senior Ruben Espinosa was the top finisher in 26:34.7, good for 213th place. Freshman Raul Lara was right behind in 214th in 26:36.2. The men finsihed with 1113 points. Colorado won the event, with Cal Poly finishing second.

The Highlanders return to action on Saturday, October 30th as they host the Big West Championships at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course.

Complete results can be found here.

Highlanders to Host Big West Cross Country Championships

(Oct. 21, 2004) - For the second time in three years, UC Riverside is serving as host of the Big West Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships. The 2004 event is on Saturday, October 30 at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course. Admission to the event is free, however there will be a charge to park either on the UCR campus or at the church adjacent to the course.

The 6,000 meter women’s race will begin at 8:00 a.m., followed by the 8,000 meter men’s race at 9:00 a.m. An awards presentation follows at 10:00 a.m.

The Cal Poly men and UC Santa Barbara women are the defending conference champions.

To get to the course, take the 91 freeway east to the 60/215 Fwy (to Indio) South. Take the University Avenue exit and turn right (west) onto University Avenue. Proceed to Iowa Street and turn left (south). Continue to Martin Luther King Street and turn left (east) onto Martin Luther King. Proceed to Canyon Crest Drive and turn right (south). Take Canyon Crest Drive one-half mile to the Agricultural Operations gate.

UCSB, Cal Poly Win Big West Cross Country Championships

(Oct. 30, 2004) - For the second consecutive year, UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly took home the women's and men's titles at the Big West Cross Country Championships Saturday morning in Riverside. Santa Barbara's Lauren Christman and Utah State's Trevor Ball were the top individual finishers.

By virtue of their performances, Christman and Ball also received the Big West Cross Country Female and Male Athlete of the Year awards, respectively. UCSB's Pete Dolan and Cal Poly's Mike Conover were named Coaches of the Year.

Christman won the women's 6K race in 20:35.1, the fastest time by a Big West runner this year. She was three seconds ahead of her sister, Lindsay Christman, who finished second. Mary Kamau (Idaho), Stephanie Rothstein (UCSB), and Ashley Johnson (Utah State) round out the top five.

The Gauchos took six of the top twenty spots to claim their second consecutive Big West team title. Idaho finished second with Utah State, Cal Poly, and UC Irvine finishing in the top five.

Ball captured the men's title in 24:08.8, eight seconds in front of teammate Clark Bryner. Cal Poly's Blake Swier, UCSB's Chris Ashley, and UCI's Ricky Barnes were also in the top five.

On the team side, Cal Poly also repeated as conference champions, placing five of the top ten finishers and eight of the top twenty. Utah State finished second, followed by UCSB, UCI, and Cal State Fullerton.

Riverside's top finishers were senior Melissa Garza (54th) and junior Andy Padilla (36th). The Highlanders finished ninth for the women while the men claimed eighth place.

2004 Big West Conference Cross Country Championships Women's 6K

1. Lauren Christman - JR, UCSB - 20:35.1
2. Lindsay Christman - JR, UCSB - 20:38.6
3. Mary Kamau - JR, Idaho - 20:46.7
4. Stephanie Rothstein - JR, UCSB - 20:47.7
5. Ashley Johnson - SO, Utah State - 20:56.4
6. Kim Ramirez - SR, UC Irvine - 20:59.1
7. Linda Ripplinger - SR, Utah State - 20:59.4
8. Mandy Macalister - SO, Idaho - 21:02.1
9. Cosette Smith - SR, UCSB - 21:04.6
10. Bevin Kennelly - JR, Idaho - 21:06.0

2004 Big West Conference Cross Country Championships Men's 8K

1. Trevor Ball - JR, Utah State - 24:08.8
2. Clark Bryner - JR, Utah State - 24:16.1
3. Blake Swier - SR, Cal Poly - 24:20.5
4. Chris Ashley - SO, UCSB - 24:21.6
5. Ricky Barnes - JR, UC Irvine - 24:22.4
6. Mike Chavez - SO, UCSB - 24:23.8
7. Andy Coughlin - JR, Cal Poly - 24:25.5
8. Luke Llamas - SO, Cal Poly - 24:28.6
9. Jeff Porto - SR, Cal Poly - 24:29.4
10. Ryan Moorcroft - SR, Cal Poly - 24:32.8

Highlanders Finish Season at NCAA West Regional

(Nov. 13, 2004) - The UC Riverside men's cross country team placed 16 out of 21 teams, the best finish in school history, and the women's team was 22 out of 28 at the NCAA West Regional at Woodland Park in Fresno, CA.

The Stanford Cardinal swept both the women's 6k and the men's 10k on a sunny day at Woodward Park, despite being pressed in both races. In the women's race, Stanford senior Alicia Craig took the title, running the 6k course in 20:03, with Arizona State junior Amy Hastings finishing second in 20:14. Stanford and ASU accounted for the first seven runners in the race. Stanford took the team title with 29 points, and ASU finished just behind them with 45 points. UC Santa Barbara came in third with 92 points.

For the UCR women, senior Kelsey Wright was the top finisher for the Highlanders, placing 110th overall in a time of 23:15. Freshman Liza Lopez was 116th in 23:19, junior Rose Serna was 119th in 23:20 and junior Adriana Alvarado was 127th in 23:28.

The men's race was also taken by a Cardinal runner, senior Ryan Hall, who finished in 30:07 over the 10k course. He was one of three Stanford runners in the top ten to lead the men to their team championship, which they won by 19 points over second place ASU, 49-68. Cal Poly finished third in the team standings with 86 points. Stanford and Arizona State's respective top two finishes automatically qualify the teams for the National Championships in Terre Haute, Ind. where they will face teams from the other eight regions. Other teams will have the opportunity to qualify based on their times from this event, after they are measured against times from the other regionals.

On the men's side, freshman Ulices Pina led the Highlanders with a 74th place finish, completing the 10K course in 32:39. Junior Andy Padilla was 85th in 32:59, freshman Nathan Wolack was 103rd in 33:38 and freshman Jared Bain was 107th in 33:50. Seniors Ruben Espinoza was 109th in 33:55 and Paul Hansen was 131st in 33:55.

Complete results.

22-28 636/UC Riverside ( 23:35 1:57:51)
1    110 Kelsey Wright    Sr. 303 23:15
2    116 Liza Lopez       Fr. 301 23:19
3    119 Rose Serna       Jr. 302 23:20
4    127 Adriana Alvarado Jr. 299 23:28
5    164 Melissa Garza    Sr. 300 24:29
6   (168) Ashley Zamora   Fr. 304 24:42

16-21 478 UCR/UC Riverside ( 33:25 2:47:01)
1    74 Ulices Pina      Fr. 75 32:39
2    85 Andy Padilla     Jr. 74 32:59
3   103 Nathan Wolack    Fr. 77 33:38
4   107 Jared Bain       Fr. 70 33:50
5   109 Ruben Espinoza   Sr. 71 33:55
6  (131) Paul Hanson     Sr. 72 35:12