SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Nov. 8, 2023) – UC Santa Barbara Cross Country is ready to take the course at the NCAA Div. I Cross Country West Regional, which will be hosted in Sacramento on Nov. 10th. The meet will feature teams from across western conferences as they race to determine which team will advance to nationals. 

DETAILS
Race 1: Women's 6k at 10 a.m.
Race 2: Men's 10k at 11 a.m.
Location: Arcade Creek Cross Country Course at Haggin Oaks Golf Course
Weather: Sunny with light clouds, mid 60s. 
How to Watch: Live results can be found here.

REGIONALS EXPLAINED
Nine Cross Country regionals will be held across the country on Friday, with each race representing a geographical area. The Gauchos will race against other schools in the Western Region, facing teams from multiple other NCAA Conferences, such as Cal and Oregon. According to the 2023 NCAA DI Men's Cross Country Regional Rankings, UC Santa Barbara is ranked 13th in the Western Region. 

The top two finishing teams from each meet will advance to Nationals. There will be 18 additional teams selected at large from the national pool, based on their performance during the season. 

PARTICIPATING TEAMS
Arizona, Boise State, Cal Poly, Cal State Fullerton, California, CBU, CSU Bakersfield (w), CSUN, Eastern Washington, Fresno State (w), Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Hawaii (w), Idaho, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Oregon, Oregon State (w), Pacific (w), Pepperdine, Portland, Portland State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Diego, San Diego State (w), San Francisco, Santa Clara, SeattleU, Stanford, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA, UNLV (w), USC (w), Washington, Washington State

LAST MEET 
The Gauchos competed at the Big West Championships, where the men placed second and the women placed seventh. Ethan Godsey won his second podium spot in a row after placing third while Manan Vats came in at an impressive 12th. Stina Johansson solidified her position as the women's front-runner by placing 12th as the first female Gaucho.

UP NEXT 
Depending on the performance at the regionals, the Gauchos may have the opportunity to run at Nationals. Following the conclusion of the Cross Country season, the distance runners will prepare for the upcoming Track and Field season.