2006 Archives

Highlander Men Picked to Finish Fourth in Big West

(August 17, 2006) - After posting their best finish in program history in 2005, the UC Riverside Highlanders were picked to finish fourth in the Big West Conference in the pre-season poll announced Wednesday.

The poll, which is voted on by the head coaches of the conference, predicts the finish of the schools at the Big West Championship on October 28, 2006 at Cal Poly.

After winning six of the previous eight Big West Cross Country Championships, Cal Poly was the unanimous selection by the coaches to win its fourth-straight championship. The Mustangs captured all seven first place votes on the way to 49 points to claim the top spot in the preseason poll announced today. UC Santa Barbara was a near-unanimous second place pick after amassing 41 points.

UC Irvine, which finished fifth at the Big West Championship in 2005, checked in at third in the poll with 34 tallies, while UC Riverside claimed the fourth slot with 25 points. Rounding out the poll were Long Beach State (24), Cal State Fullerton (15) and Cal State Northridge (8).

Men’s Cross Country
Coaches Poll Results

Highlander Women Picked to Finish Fifth in Big West

(August 21, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders' women's cross country team was predicted to finish fifth in the Big West Conference it was announced Monday.

The poll, which is voted on by the head coaches of the conference, predicts the finish of the schools at the Big West Championship on October 28, 2006 at Cal Poly.

UC Santa Barbara was chosen as a near-unanimous selection to take home the championship. The Gauchos
received seven of eight first place votes on the way to tallying 63 points for the top slot.

UC Irvine, the defending Big West Champions, claimed second place in the poll with 53 points. The Anteaters claimed their first title since 1999 last season on the strength of a talented group of underclassmen. Long Beach State, which finished third at the Big West Championship last year, is picked to finish third this season with 48 points, while Cal Poly picked up the remaining first place vote on its way to the fourth slot with 38 tallies. UC Riverside is picked fifth with 30 points, while Cal State Fullerton (28), Cal State Northridge (18) and Pacific (10) round out the poll.

Women’s Cross Country
Coaches Poll Results

( ) First-place votes

Men and Women Prepare for Breakthrough 2006 Seasons

(Aug. 25, 2006) - The 2005-06 Cross Country Season marked an outstanding turning point in the history of the men’s and women’s programs at UCR, as both teams had their finest finishes in the Big West Conference Championships. The men’s team made a positive step forward with a fourth place finish by a team made up of freshmen and sophomores, while the women saw freshman Brenda Martinez become the first Highlander in school history to post a top-10 finish, as the squad placed a program best fifth.

But the dramatic improvements of the programs were seen as just the next step towards making UC Riverside a power in the Big West Conference. In this interview, Coach Irv Ray talks about the 2006 season, and where the road may lead.

Simply put, what are the next goals for the men’s and women’s programs?

“On both teams, everybody is returning, and everybody has done their summer preparation work. We have high expectations this year. We are aiming for the top of the conference over the next two years and believe we can compete for conference, individual and team championships.”

Overall, are the teams progressing the way you’ve wanted them to?

“Yes I believe that we’re progressing the way we wanted, and this year is very important that we stay on task. Each year we have asked more of them and they’ve delivered, but this year we are asking them to go from the middle of the conference to being in the top two or three in the conference and in the top 10 in the region. Starting to gain this national exposure is a big step and we expect that we’ll be able to take this step. If we do, if we’re meeting the objectives, then we’re going to go where no one has ever gone before in this program. That was our goal from the beginning.”
“I believe that UC Riverside can compete with anybody in the conference, anybody in the region. And can qualify for nationals. This is something that can be accomplished at UC Riverside, with hard work. Dedication and the talent that we have here in the Inland Empire.

How do you keep your team from suffering from a bad day that could ruin a great season?

“As coaches, we are part coach, part trainer and part psychologist. Psychology is not necessarily my strength, but one of the things I do believe is, that personal self-sacrifice on a daily basis builds a character that will deliver when it comes to crunch time. That character, integrity, all those things we talk about, are built on the foundation of hard work, dedication, and self-sacrifice. If that’s what you are living and believing everyday, and it has become a part of you, then you will not be let down on the day of competition."

“The other saying we have is that ‘When pressure comes, you don’t have an opportunity to prove your character. What character you have is revealed.’ How do we obtain a character that’s going to deliver dedication, hard work and self-sacrifice? There is no better place to do it in running, where you have to get up and run every morning, you have to lift weights, you have to run twice a day. You are running thousands of miles and there is no time off. It’s a seven-day-a-week job. That’s a place where you build dedication, self-sacrifice and character. So people who are very well physically prepared are usually mentally prepared as well. You still have race anxiety, but I believe the physical can out-weigh the mental if you’re prepared.”

“We want to run our best when it counts the most, and we believe that we build that in through that dedication, self-sacrifice. We have a team that doesn’t party, doesn’t club, and doesn’t drink. These kids are paying that price every single day and so when you get to the starting line, you’ve got an advantage over someone who hasn’t done all the right things. If all other things are equal then you will win."

Talk a little bit about the summer prep work that the athletes did.

“We stepped that up this summer. All the student-athletes got a summer training manual with week-to-week training objectives, both in running and conditioning. We are asking them to come in to preseason in the same shape that they ended the season last year. Based on reports we have received back from everybody, we are there. That is why we are confident in saying that we think each team can compete for one of the top spots in the conference with a junior-sophomore team."

“The summer preparation was a much higher requirement of total miles, specific workouts that we asked them to do to cover things like lactate threshold and MVO2 development and endurance. All of those components are key to successful cross country racing. You can’t put something in the middle of the season that you didn’t have before the season. It is very important that they get this done during the summer.”

“Last year, after cross country and before track, our student-athletes made a big gain in our track marks because we trained very steadily and consistently during the winter months between cross country and track. Twelve weeks of long, hard work. The teams caught on to that, so I told them we needed to repeat over the summer what we did in December, January and February, and I believe that they have. The results I believe will show themselves in our first meet against UCLA."

The UCLA is a neat opportunity to see how you match up. What are your goals entering that meet?

“The reason we worked with UCLA is that they have a like mind in their training. They go to Mammoth for a couple of weeks of training, as we do. September 1, a Friday, is the first day that we could have the race and their coach liked the concept of having a lower key affair. But with that said, both UCLA’s men’s and women’s teams were ranked in the top-30 last year, with the majority of their team coming back, this first competition is a meaningful competition for us. We believe that we can compete head-to-head with them. We think our preparation is good and we are competing at home, so we think we have a chance to make a really good showing.”

“That is what I think good coaches try to do in all sports. In basketball, if you can schedule a Pac-10 team early in the season and knock them off, that is something no one can take away from you. So there is a little method to our madness. It really puts a sense of urgency for the student-athletes to train and understand we are going up against UCLA in a dual meet. There is no place to hide like there is in an invitational. There are just 14 men and 14 women out there.”

The season schedule is quite challenging. You are taking on a lot of great programs.

“Then, after two more weeks of altitude training, we will be at the University of Washington, running against several national programs. We have the Huskies, who were third in the region last year, Washington State who was seventh, Oregon who was fourth. We will know a lot about ourselves between the first and the 16th of September.”

“Winning races against ranked teams is a necessary step for the success of this program. We need to earn national points to enable us to be invited to the NCAA Championships. Let’s say you finished fifth or sixth in the region and you are being considered to go to nationals as an at large team. The committee is going to look at whom you have competed against and whom you have beaten. If they see that you have knocked off a Washington, a Florida, a Texas-El Paso, that increases the chance to get that at large bid.”

“In the very least, our goal this year is to establish ourselves so that we are close to that range so that next year we can definitely get there. What we don’t get done this year we definitely want to get done next year.”

“In cross country, if you are invited to nationals, you are guaranteed a top-30 finish by the end of the day. If you have a decent day and a couple of other teams have bad days, then all of a sudden you could find yourself in the top 20 or top 15. That would be the best finish for any sport at UC Riverside.”

What is the realistic expectation for your men’s cross country team? What is going to constitute week-to-week success?

“We talked about going into each race, going to the front of the race and running hard from the get-go. Mixing it up with everybody earning the top spots in each race. Just to go out there and be among the top-10 in every race, finishing there and believing that they can run at that level and beat national level athletes. Each race, leading up to conference, will be a test if they really believe in themselves.”

“One of our big themes this year is ‘Believe in yourself, Believe in your training.” I think part of the coaches’ job and responsibility is to give them goals and aspirations that are higher than they probably think they can achieve. That is called building a dream or a vision, and then supporting and encouraging them to reach that vision and dream.”

“We are trying to build a team that went from the very bottom of the conference to the top of the conference in just five years. We are starting to believe that we can do that. Last year we got to the middle of the conference, and this year we want to get into the top two. Then, once you get there, and you have everybody back, you are battling for the championship. That is our objective. I have deep respect fo all the Big West teams. We have several national-level coaches and teams in this conference.”

How is your top eight shaping up on the men’s side?

“Top 8 on the men, Andrew Tachias, Raul Lara, Jose Melena, Ulices Pina, Joel Cota, David Smith and Pedro Ramos, and Michael Buell.”

“Andrew Tachias (SO, Covina, CA/Covina HS) has made large gains in his off-season preparation. He had a breakthrough track season in the 1,500 and the 5,000, and his indoor 3,000 time equates to about an 8:52 over two miles. Having a freshman who runs 8:52 is just like recruiting a guy who can run 8:52. Now we have a guy that we have developed on our own. He has really trained seriously this summer and believes he can compete with the best runners in the conference. He is a top-10 level runner.”

“Raul (JR, Orange, CA/Orange HS) also had a breakthrough season in track with the 14:26 in the 5,000 and an 8:53 two mile equivalent. He understands his big goals, and wants to establish himself. I would also put him in the top 10 in the conference.”

“Jose (SO, Antelope Valley, CA/Antelope Valley HS) is very competitive and last year was right among our top two. He is not going to let Andrew or Raul get too far ahead. I could have listed him first, second or third, but went conservative because he is a year younger in his development. Still, with his competitiveness, I could see him as a top-10 guy in the conference. These guys are going to be going for those spots, and if we can get three in the top-10, we’ll be off to a good start in our scoring in the conference championships.”

“Uli Pina (JR, Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly HS) had a very good freshman year, then last year had a bit of a lull. He faced a bit of overtraining and has corrected that. He has prepared very well this summer. As a freshman he was number two guy on the team, then slipped a bit last year. This year I think he will be back up there, and is a top-10, top-15 guy in the conference.”

“Joel Cota (JR, Indio, CA/Indio HS) was a highly promising high school athlete. It took him a while to get the college life balance with school, life and everything. He’s gotten it down now and I think he realizes he is an important member of the team. As the fifth man, he “closes the door” for us, as he stops the scoring. So the fifth man has a tremendous incentive to get across the finish line. He has always had the potential, and I think this might be the year that he finally realizes it.”

“David Smith is a freshman out of Northview HS (Covina, CA). He is kind of like Andrew Tachias’ long lost brother. He has a very similar mentality and attitude. He is very tough, wants it very bad and will come in as a freshman very well prepared.”

“Pedro Ramos (SO, Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly HS) is seventh, but he has the potential to be fourth or fifth man. He is just a sophomore with one year of college under his belt. Running the 1:52 and almost getting the school record in the 800 last year at conference really gave him a lot of confidence and he has worked hard in the summer and is in really good shape.”

“Michael Buell (SO, Los Angeles, CA/LA Baptist HS) is my hard working, blue collar guy. He runs a 25:50, and that is a nice thing to have at the back end of the line-up.”

“We have two other freshmen coming in, Derek Somerville (Saugus, CA/Saugus HS) and Jesus Cardenas (Bloomington, CA/Bloomington HS). Derek is a freshman who is a good half-miler, miler type who was a state qualifier in the 800 at 1:54. He isn’t in quite as good shape as he could be and we may redshirt him if he isn’t ready to compete at this level. Jesus is a local guy from Bloomington HS. He walked on the team and wants to show that he belongs here.”

“It’s a little different to walk on this team now. Two years ago you could walk on and had a chance to make the team. Now, you walk on to the team with guys who have improved to the level they are at now, and it is a lot harder to make the travel team.”

Same question for the women as the men, what constitutes a success for the women’s cross country team?

“The women I think are developing a little faster. I’ll say I thought that the women were maybe a year behind, and now think that they’re equal to or maybe a stride ahead of the men. As you know as they say, women mature quicker than men and maybe that’s the case for our women’s team.”

“I want to say that it’s a collection of very special young women that I could not be more proud of. Who they are as people. They have great integrity. The women’s team this summer decided they were going to stay here in Riverside and train together. The report I got back was every workout everyday there was 12-18 girls at practices. They were in the weight room three times a week. One morning, one of our former athletes calls me on the phone at 6 AM and he says to me ‘Coach I was out running my threshold on the river trail, he says, I just want to tell you how impressed I am, he says I counted 18 women out there doing their workouts at 6 o’clock on a hot summer morning by themselves.’ That kind of dedication and that kind of focus over the summer and laying that foundation that is so important for competition during the season. That’s what I think has put the girls a stride a head of the guys.”

“Last year, at the conference meet, we could have been third but ended up in 5th because they just didn’t exuded the confidence, but it’s realistic to understand that a group of mostly freshman and sophomores, mostly freshman and a few sophomores, first year they’re going to go out there and they just didn’t run up to their full potential because they just weren’t confident in themselves. A year later with they’re maturity growth they’re way past last year’s let down, they are very confident and the women are aiming for the top of the conference, without the pressure of feeling like we have to win it. We want to get up in the top two definitely. And if we have the good day, maybe we can get the championship. That is what Irvine did last year.”

“The women have made huge strides physically, the gains that they have made on endurance, lactate threshold and MVO2 is way ahead of where they were a year ago.”

You have larger numbers on your women’s team this year.

“We have 18 girls that are going to be on a racing squad this year. I think that’s a testament to their character and who they are. A lot of young women have walked on, because they want to be part of what the women’s team is developing here at UCR. They are starting a very special tradition. Years from know, we will look back to the 2006-07 team and see where our winning tradition started and see how special this collection of student-athletes was.”

Let’s look at top eight for the women.

“I expect all eight girls to be in the top-20 in the conference. I believe that is a realistic goal.”

“Brenda Martinez (SO, Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Rancho Cucamonga HS) and Cristina Olivas (SO, Bloomington, CA/Bloomington HS) are right there, one and two, and will battle for the leadership of this team. Brenda is coming back from a spring illness, and we weren’t sure that she’d come back all the way. But when we looked at some work out times, she’s farther along now than a year ago. So Brenda’s come back all the way but Cristina may be in front of her. She has just improved so much. Both are sophomores and have made huge gains physically over a year ago and are just in a different place than 12 months ago.”

“Last year Brenda was 20-30 seconds in front of Cristina and Lisa Lopez (JR, Hesperia, CA/Hesperia HS) and everybody else. And now we’re going to have two girls up there in the top 10 of our conference, maybe even top five.”

“Closely behind will be Lisa, who has made great physical strides, leadership gains and is the team captain. She is going to do her part to keep the first two close. Then maybe only a stride behind Lisa will be sophomore Danielle Evans (Pomona, CA/Diamond Ranch HS), another woman who has made huge strides physically. Junior Celene Reyez (San Diego, CA/Southwest JC) was a JC transfer last season who was redshirted in cross country in 2005. She scored in the conference in the steeplechase in track and now she’s got a year of preparation behind her. Those three girls will bounce around between third and fifth, I mean they’re going to be so close, and they’re only a few strides behind Brenda and Christine, so it’s not like last year where we had this 60-second gap, we’re talking about maybe 10 or 15 seconds. Our goal is between our first and fifth place girls to only have a 45-second gap between our first place and seventh place finishers.”

“Junior Sarah Tesfaye (Rancho Cucamonga, CA/Etiwanda HS) has potential to make the top five and really contribute to this team. She is very physically gifted, but we just got to get her to stay healthy.”

“Ashley Zamora (JR, Rialto, CA/Rialto HS) and Maryanne Hanks (JR, Murrieta, CA/Murrieta Valley HS) , will be the next two to round out the top eight. I would not be surprised with Ashley if she’s in the top five at the end of the season. She did an incredible job during track season and had the second fastest 5K on the team. She is a great story because she’s a walk-on who has earned scholarship here. Maryanne is right behind her to round out the top eight and has some very special leadership skills that add to our team.

Talk about your incoming talent.

“Ashley Pratt, CIF champion from Woodcrest HS (FR, Riverside, CA) will be a nice addition to round out our top-10 and Jacqueline Juarez from Northview High School (FR, Covina, CA) has been a nice surprise, I think she’s more gifted and physically capable than she showed in high school. She’ll have an opportunity here in college to really grow as a runner. And has the ability to.”

What would a championship mean to the men’s and women’s programs?

“That we proved that hard work, dedication, dreaming and having a vision, and a willingness to pay that price every day for four years does work. As coaches, that is what we are trying to sell all the time. If you can pull it off, that is proof that the theory is sound. I believe this team, within the next two years, will be running for a conference championship and national qualifiers.”

Highlanders Host UCLA in Season-Opening Dual Meet

(Aug. 31, 2006) - The UC Riverside Cross Country teams, fresh off of two weeks of High Altitude Training at Mammoth Lakes, will kick off the 2006 season Friday morning as they run a dual meet with visiting UCLA at the UC Riverside Agricultural Operations Course.

The men will run a six-kilometer race beginning at 7:00 AM, while the women will run a four-kilometer race commencing at 7:30 AM.

"This is a great opportunity for us to compete against and outstanding Pac-10 program," UCR Coach Irv Ray said.

The UCR cross country programs are each coming off of their finest seasons at the Division I level last season and have made reaching the NCAA Championship their goal.

There will be no admission charge to view the races. Parking is available for a fee in UCR lot 30, located at the corner of Canyon Crest and Martin Luther King. The entry to the course is on Canyon Crest, about 100 yards south of campus in the Agricultural Operations Center. There will be no parking in the Ag/Ops area.

The races will be slightly shorter than the standard regular season distances of eight and six kilometers because it is still early in the season, Ray said.

Following the races, the UCR teams will return to Mammoth to continue training camp.

Bruins Best Highlanders in Season Opening Dual Meet

(Sept. 1, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders and visiting UCLA Bruins kicked off the 2006 cross country season Friday in a dual meet at the UC Riverside Agricultural Operations Course in Riverside.

UCR junior Raul Lara (Orange, CA) won the men's event, covering the six-kilometer course in 17:42.9, but UCLA took the overall by a score of 25-30. In the women's race, UCLA's Claire Rethmeier finished the four-kilometer race in 13:52, helping the Bruins to a 23-35 victory.

Team scores are obtained by adding the finishing positions of the first five runners, with the lowest score winning.

In the men's race, Lara battled with UCLA's Laef Bernes and outkicked him in the final 100 yards to win by a margin of 2.2 seconds as Bernes finished in 17:45.1. The Bruins took third and fourth behind Kyle Shackleton (17:52.6) and Michael Hadden (17:55.0), with UCR sophomores Andrew Tachias (17:56.9, West Covina, CA) and Jose Melena (17:59.7, Lancaster, CA) placing fifth and sixth, respectively.

On the women's side, Rethmeier paced the field throughout the race, finishing 10 seconds ahead of her nearest competitor, UCR sophomore Cristina Olivas (Bloomington, CA), who finished in 14:02. Junior Lisa Lopez (Hesperia, CA) was just a few strides behind at 14:09. However, the Bruins placed runners in fourth through eighth places, clinching the win.

"We had a great crowd, and we had a very competitive race for both teams," UCR Head Coach Irv Ray said. "Dual matches like this are more of what I call a 'man-on-man' event due to the scoring, and UCLA 'covered their man' just a little better than we did today."

"The course was really nice and UCLA liked the crowd and the format. Hopefully, this will become an annual event," Ray added.

Olivas Named Big West Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week

(Sept. 6, 2006) - UCR sophomore Cristina Olivas was named Big West Female Cross Country Athlete of the Week Wednesday following her outstanding performance in her team's dual meet with UCLA on September 1.

Olivas (Bloomington, CA/Bloomington HS) led the Highlander runners at their season-opening dual meet against UCLA, finishing second overall on the 4K course with a time of 14:02. She averaged a 5:39 mile and her mark set a school 4K record.

"It is a joy to see Cristina's major improvements over the last year," Coach Irv Ray said. "She has made a major step forward in her competitive career and I believe there will be more good things to come."

The Highlanders have returned to the Mammoth Lakes region of California for two more weeks of High-Altitude Camp. They return to action at the Washington Invitational in Seattle on September 16.

Highlander Men, Women Place Fourth at UW Sundodger Invitational

Women's Results
Men's Results

(Sept. 16, 2006) - Facing nationally ranked competition, UC Riverside’s men’s and women’s cross country teams each place fourth at the 2006 Sundodger Invitational, hosted by the University of Washington on Saturday morning. The 15th-annual meet featured 800 athletes from 45 teams at West Seattle’s Lincoln Park.

In the Highlanders' first 6K run of the season, the women's team placed fourth out of the 13 collegiate contestants and fifth overall, its highest-ever finish in a major invitational. Third-ranked Michigan won the meet with the independent Club Northwest team in second. The 21st-ranked host Huskies placed third and Washington State was fourth.

Four UCR runners topped the old school record, led by junior Lisa Lopez (Hesperia, CA), who finished ninth among collegiate runners (13th overall) in a time of 21:21. Sophomore Cristina Olivas (Bloomington, CA) was 15th (22nd overall) in a time of 21:32. Junior Sarah Tesfaye (Alta Loma, CA) finished in 21:42 to place 34th overall and junior Ashley Zamora (Rialto, CA) was four seconds behind her in 38th place.

The UCR men also placed fourth, finishing behind Chico State, Washington, and Washington State. Sophomore Joe Melena (Lancaster, CA) was the top Highlander runner, placing 11th (12th overall) in an 8K time of 24:26. Sophomore Andrew Tachias (West Covina, CA) was four spots behind him at 24:37. Junior Raul Lara (Orange, CA) came in 23rd overall at 24:49 and junior Ulices Pena (Long Beach, CA) also broke 25 minutes, completing the course in 24:54 for 27th place.

"We took a really good step forward today against regionally and nationally ranked teams," Head Coach Irv Ray said.

The Highlanders return home to host the UCR Invitational on Saturday, September 30, at 7 a.m. at the UCR Ag/Ops Course.

Highlanders to Host UCR Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 30

Women's Entries
Men's Entries

(Sept. 25, 2006) - Between 20 and 25 men's and women's cross country teams are expected to be in attendance Saturday, September 30th at the 26th Annual UC Riverside Cross Country Invitational. The race will be held on the UCR Agricultural Operations Course on Canyon Crest Drive, just south of Martin Luther King Ave.

The men will kick off the competition at 7:30 a.m. with an eight kilometer race, and the women will run at 8:15 in a five kilometer race.

"We are looking to win both ends of this meet," Head Coach Irv Ray. "It is a very achievable goal for this team."

Women's Cross Country Squad Receives Regional Ranking

(Sept. 26, 2006) - The UC Riverside women's cross country team has received it's first regional ranking at the Division I level Monday when they were placed seventh in the West Region in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) regional poll.

The Highlanders, who were unranked in the preseason, are the second highest Big West team in the rankings, behind third place UC Santa Barbara. The Highlanders are ahead of UC Irvine (ninth), Long Beach State (10th) as well as UCLA (8th).

The ranking comes just as the Highlanders prepare to host the 26th Annual UC Riverside Cross Country Invitational on September 30th at the UCR Agricultural Operations Course.

Women First, Men Second at UCR Invitational

Women's Results
Men's Results

(Sept. 30, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders women's cross country team posted their first-ever team win at the 26th Annual Riverside Cross Country Invitational at the Agricultural Operations Course in Riverside Saturday. The UCR men's team finished second overall, ten points behind the winners from Southern Utah.

The Highlander women ran an outstanding race, placing six runners among the top-10. Junior Lisa Lopez finished second overall and tops among collegiate runners in a time of 17:40.5 over the five kilometer course. Sophomore Brenda Martinez finished fifth in 17:55.1, leading a pack of five Highlander runners. Junior Sarah Tesfaye was sixth in 17:50.9, sophomore Ashley Zamora seventh in 17:54.4, sophomore Danielle Evans was eighth in 17:59.2 and sophomore Cristina Olivas was ninth in 17:59.4. The performance netted the Highlanders 19 points, just four points shy of a perfect score of 15. UCR was a whopping 96 points ahead of second place Pepperdine, which had 115 points.

"It is really neat to have the opportunity to have the girls compete at this level. They competed with and beat some of the elite club runners," Ray said. "Lisa and Brenda did a great job and I was really happy with how the rest of the team ran. Our goal was to have eight girls under 18 minutes (the former school record), and we did it."

Ray added that 17-of-18 members of the women's team ran lifetime bests. Had UCR split its squad and run a "B" team, that team would have finished second ahead of Pepperdine.

Cal Coast Track Club's Heather Frisone took the individual honors by finishing the five kilometers in 17:30.8. Kim Ramirez of See Jane Run was third in 17:41.6.

On the men's side, Southern Utah finished with 68 points, placing five runners within the top 25. UC Riverside was second with 78 points. Junior Raul Lara was the Highlanders' top finisher in 24:39.7 over the eight kilometer course. Sophomore Jose Melena was ninth overall in 24:48.30, followed by sophomore Andrew Tachias (13th, 25:01.3), junior Michael Buell (26th,25:40.6), sophomore Pedro Ramos (27th, 25:42.9) and freshman David Smith (38th, 26:07.7).

"I thought we ran a decent race. We didn't back off our training this week and we might have been a little leg weary," Head Coach Irv Ray said. "It's a good step forward for us, and we are in a good place as we enter the second half of the season. Raul Lara really stepped up and competed very well today, despite not being 100 percent."

Pomona-Pitzer's Will Leer was the men's individual champion, covering the eight kilometers in 24:14.1. Kevin Chaves of Occidental was second in 24:23.4 and Steve Frisone of Cal Coast Track Club was third in 24:28.70.

A total of 20 women's teams and 15 men's teams consisting of over 360 athletes competed in the meet.

UCR Women Gain First-Ever National Ranking

(Oct. 4, 2006) - The UC Riverside women's cross country team made history on Tuesday, earning its first-ever national poll votes to be ranked 35th in the latest Division I United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll.

Coming off their first-ever victory at the UCR Invitational, the Highlanders received five national votes, putting them just outside the top-30. They are the sixth-ranked team in the West Region and the second of three Big West Conference schools listed, behind UC Santa Barbara (ninth) and ahead of UC Irvine (42nd). It is the first time in UCR's six-year Division I history that a women's team was included in the national polls.

UCR next competes on Saturday, October 14 at the University of Arkansas' Chile Pepper Invite in Fayetteville, AR, where they will go up against the #4-ranked Razorbacks, #12 Oklahoma State, #18 Baylor, and #27 Texas Tech.

Oct. 3 USTFCCCA Division I Women's Cross Country Rankings
Rank School (Points)
1) Stanford (390)
2) Michigan (371)
3) Colorado (370)
4) Arkansas (341)
5) North Carolina State (321)
6) BYU (318)
7) Princeton (291)
8) Iowa (287)
9) UC Santa Barbara (280)
10) Wisconsin (266)
11) Providence (253)
12) Oklahoma State (250)
13) Florida State (228)
14) Wake Forest (225)
15) Washington (221)
16) Arizona State (200)
17) Illinois (187)
18) Baylor (173)
19) Minnesota (143)
20) Duke (139)
21) Colorado State (135)
22) Michigan State (109)
23) Georgetown (104)
24) Tennessee (99)
25) Virginia (77)
26) Boston U. (60)
27) Texas Tech (44)
28) Butler (43)
29) Villanova (38)
30) Indiana (16)
Also receiving votes: Virginia Tech 14, Weber State 14, Washington State 13, Nebraska 6, UC Riverside 5, Yale 4, Florida 3, William & Mary 2, Iona 2, LaSalle 1, North Carolina 1, UC Irvine 1.

UCR Women 11th, Men 23rd at Chili Pepper Invitational

Complete Women's Results
Complete Men's Results

(Oct. 14, 2006) - The UC Riverside women's cross country team had one of their finest performances in program history, placing 11th among 44 teams at the Chili Pepper Cross Country Festival in Fayetteville, Arkansas Saturday. The men's team placed 23rd among 34 teams.

The women finished ahead of Iowa State, Texas, California, Wyoming, Utah, Georgia State and LSU. Still, Head Coach Irv Ray was a little disappointed that the Highlanders were unable to pick-off any nationally ranked squads.

"This was probably the best that we have ever performed at a nationally ranked meet," Ray said. "The course was very challenging and it was one of the largest races I have ever seen with over 400 runners, but I was disappointed that we didn't finish ahead of nationally ranked teams like Nebraska, Arkansas or Duke."

"Time-wise, it was our second best race of the season, but against this field, our second best effort just didn't get it done," he added.

Junior Lisa Lopez finished in 33rd place in a time of 21:21.1. Sophomores Cristina Olivas was 48th overall in 22:14.4 and Brenda Martinez rounded out the top three in 22:29.3.

"But let's put this finish in perspective. We finished in an average time of 22:14.4. Last year we had just one or two runners who could meet that time, and this year we averaged that with seven girls," Ray said. "They have improved a lot, come a long way, but they just haven't made that next step yet. Hopefully we will at conference and regionals. We still have hopes of being a top ranked team in the region and in conference."

Texas Tech's Sally Kipyago won the race in a time of 19:29.3, and the host University of Arkansas took the top spot as a team with 41 points.

The men finished 23rd among 34 teams. UTEP took the team title with 64 points.

Sophomore Jose Melena was the top finisher for UCR, placing 73rd in 31:24.6, with sophomore Andrew Tachias finishing in 90th in 31.43.3. Junior Ulices Pina finished 127th in 32:18.9 and sophomore Michael Buell was 133rd in 32:27.8. Abilene Christian's Nicodemus Naimadu won the race in a time of 28:22.8.

"The men ran OK. They weren't bad or good, just middle of the pack." Ray said. "We just didn't have the strength to get it done."

UCR Women's "B" Team Sixth at at Fullerton

Complete Women's Results

(Oct. 20, 2006) - The UC Riverside women's cross country team sent a "B" team to Cal State Fullerton's Titan Cross Country Invitational at Cerritos College Friday, fininshing sixth over the five kilometer course.

The Highlanders finished with a score of 152, 115 points behind the Cal Coast track club and 100 points behind UC Santa Barbara.

Freshman Ashleigh Pratt placed seventh overall in a time of 18:32.1. Sophomore Jessica Hogan finished 28th in 19:07.0, junior Tajma Stephenson was 44th in 19:35.0, freshman Jacquiline Juarez was 54th in 19:47.0, sophomore Kristina Tudor was 55th in 19:49.0 and sophomore Ashley Williams was 83rd in 21:05.0.

The Highlanders sent members of their women's team who did not compete at last weekends' Chili Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Women Fourth, Men Sixth at Big West Championships

Complete Women's Results
Complete Men's Results

(Oct. 28, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders had a mixed day at the Big West Championships, held Saturday at the Cal Poly Course in San Luis Obispo. The women finished in fourth place, while the men placed sixth.

The women finished fourth overall, the best-ever finish at the meet, with 84 points, just nine points behind third place UC Irvine. UC Santa Barbara won the championship with 26 points, the lowest score ever recorded at the championship.

Sophomore Cristina Olivas was the top finisher for the Highlanders, placing 11th in 22:42.4. A pack of Highlanders were just a few seconds behind, led by junior Sarah Tesfaye in 15th place in 23:02.3, followed by junior Lisa Lopez in 16th in 23:06.1 and sophomore Danielle Evans in 17th in 23:07.1

The men were sixth with 150 points. Cal Poly won the championship with 29 points, four points better than UCSB. Sophomore Jose Melena was the team's top finisher, placing in 19th place in 27:19.2. Sophomore Andrew Tachias was 22nd in 27:23.0.

Highlanders Compete in NCAA West Regional Saturday

(Nov. 9, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders men's and women's cross country teams will look to keep their season alive Saturday, November 11th as they compete in the 2006 NCAA West Region Cross Country meet at Blue Lake Park in Gresham, OR.

The meet, hosted by the University of Portland, will feature the top collegiate cross country teams and individual runners in the West Region, including runners from Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona, Idaho, Nevada and Hawaii.

The women’s race will be six kilometers beginning at 11:00 a.m. and the men’s race will be ten kilometers beginning at 12:15 p.m.

The UCR women have competed on three six kilometer courses this season, at the University of Wisconsin Sundodger Invitational on September 16, the Chili Pepper Cross Country Festival in Arkansas on October 14th and the Big West Championship on October 28. Junior Lisa Lopez owns the program's best time over that distance, recording a 21:21.0 performance on September 16th. Sophomore Cristina Olivas had a 21:32.0 at that same meet and led the Highlanders at the Big West Championships with a time of 22:42.4.The women finished in a school-best fourth place finish at the Big West Championships two weeks ago.

The men have run a 10K race once this season at the Chili Pepper Festival. Sophomore Jose Melena has the program's top time at this distance, recording a 31:24.6. Sophomore Andrew Tachias recorded a 31:43.3 at that same meet. The Highlanders finished sixth at the Big West Championships two weeks ago.

The top two finishing teams will automatically advance to the NCAA Championship Meet in Terre Haute, IN on Nov. 20. Teams not finishing in the top two can still qualify for the championship meet by receiving one of 13 at-large bids available to teams from all regions. The top four individual runners on teams not receiving a bid will also advance to the championship meet.

Highlanders Wrap Up 2006 at West Regional

Complete Women's Results
Complete Men's Results

(Nov. 11, 2006) - The UC Riverside Highlanders men's and women's cross country teams concluded the 2006 season Saturday at the NCAA West Regional tournament at Blue Lake Park in Fairview, OR. The women's team placed 11th at the event, while the men placed 16th.

The women placed 11th among the 30 teams with 323 points. The finish was the program's best at the regional and significantly better than last year's 22nd place finish.

Sophomore Cristina Olivas was the Highlanders' top finisher, placing 24th in a time of 22:08.14 over the 6K course. The 24th place finish was the highest individual finish at the regional in school history. Junior Lisa Lopez was 58th in 22:54.46, sophomore Brenda Martinez was 62nd in 22:58.72 and Ashley Zamora was 90th in 23:29.32.

UCR Head Coach Irv Ray said that his HIghlanders ran an outstanding race. "Our improvement over last season was tremendous," Ray said. "I was very pleased with our performance. Cristina ran a great race and has a really good chance of becoming the first individual to compete at the NCAA Championships. Even better, we have everybody coming back next year."

Stanford's Arianna Lambie took the individual title in a time of 20:58.85, helping the Cardinal to a team championship and a 30-point win over UC Santa Barbara, 42-72.

The men's team placed 16th among 26 teams with a total of 500 points. Sophomore Andrew Tachias placed 84th in 32:44.92 and sophomore Michael Buell was 89th in 32:57.21. Sophomore Jose Melena rounded out the top three with a 94th place finish in 33:01.92, while junior Raul Lara was next in 117th in 33:51.24.

Stanford's Neftalem Araia won the meet, covering the 10K course in 30:05.88. Overall, Oregon won the meet, beating Stanford, 69 to 88.

"We didn't run as well as I hoped we would, but we have everybody coming back next year, so this is a positive learning experience," Ray said.

Olivas Named All-West Region

(Nov. 14, 2006) - Sophomore Cristina Olivas was named to the All-West Region team by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Tuesday.

To be considered for the All Region team, athletes must finish in the top 25 of their region and meet NCAA Division I Cross Country Coaches Association requirements.

Olivas was the Highlanders top finisher at the NCAA West Regional, finishing 24th in a time of 22:08.14 over the six kilometer course. Her 24th place finish was the highest individual finish at the regional in school history.

"It is a tremendous accomplishment for Cristina, and we are very proud of her," Head Coach Irv Ray said. "The fact that she is just a sophomore is very exciting. This is just the beginning for her."