SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (July 28, 2023) - UC Santa Barbara announced the 2023 cross country schedule on Monday. This season, the Gauchos will travel to four meets in addition to postseason competition.
"We're excited about the schedule we put together," said Head Coach Cody Fleming. "Our athletes are going to compete against some of the best runners not only in the west coast but nationally. Both our teams will return several key runners and we're going to challenge not just them but the entire team to keep building off the momentum of last season."
UC Santa Barbara will kick off the season in Nipomo, Calif. with the Cal Poly Preview on September 1. The Gauchos will follow that meet up with a trip to Riverside, Calif. as they compete in the Riverside Invite. The teams will round out the month of September with a trip to Eugene, Ore. for the Dillinger Invite.
The Gauchos will end their regular season with a trip to the Midwest as they will compete in the Nuttycombe Invite, a national class meet, in Madison, Wis.
Following the Nuttycombe Invite, UC Santa Barbara will have two weeks to prepare for The Big West Championships. The men's team is deep and look to make a strong showing not just in The Big West Championships but beyond that in the NCAA West Regional and NCAA Championships.
"Ethan Godsey leads our men's team and was the Big West Freshman of the Year last fall along with the conference 5K champ last spring," explained Fleming. "He is a generational type talent and he's fun to watch. If you have a chance to see him run take it. Along with him, other key returners are Gus Marshall, Manan Vats and Preston Bowlds. They will be joined by a talented incoming recruiting class."
The women's team will also be deep with several runners looking for a breakout season. A strong recruiting class will bring a lot of competition into the mix throughout the season.
"On the women's side, we have a strong group of leaders in Ava Maier, Stina Johansson, Isabella Abusaid, Sierra Ransweiler and Sarah Auther," said Fleming. "They're all ready for a breakout fall season. They'll also be joined by a strong group of incoming recruits who we think will contribute immediately."
With a strong showing in The Big West Championships UC Santa Barbara will move onto the NCAA West Regional, which is slated for November 10 and will be hosted in Sacramento, Calif. Following the West Regional is the NCAA Championships being held in Charlottesville, Va. on November 18.
