SUNNYVALE, Calif. – UC Santa Barbara Men's and Women's Cross Country teams took part in their fourth meet of the year and their last meet before the Big West Championships. At the Bronco Invitational hosted by Santa Clara, the Gauchos competed against various universities in the men's 8K and women's 6K races.
For the men, sophomore Parker Simmons led the way for the Gauchos taking senior Zachary Parker with him for top-10 finishes. Simmons placed eighth in the race with a time of 24:08.2 followed by a 10th place finish in Zachary Parker, timing in at 24:17.9. The next three Gauchos to finish were Gus Marshall, Parker Herbert, and Manny Correia, all contributing to an 82-point, third place team finish with times of 24:30.2, 24:47.3, and 24:50.2 respectively. Parker Stickney and Hayden Owen also finished with personal bests in the 8K, clocking in at 25:00.9 and 25:09.1, in that order. The top seven for the Gauchos placed within the top 40 of individuals in a 132-person race.
"It was a really good showing. We were behind Cal Poly near the end of the race and we yelled at them to make sure they knew. It was good to see them close the gap late in the race." - Vijay Saxena, UC Santa Barbara Cross Country Coach
In the women's 6K, sophomore Lindsey Reed finished first for the Gauchos, placing 59th overall and recording a time of 21:56.6. Close behind was freshman Jana Barron and sophomore Leah Mendibles, who crossed the finish line with times of 22:06.4 and 22:09.0. The next runner to finish for Santa Barbara was Sophia Gutierrez, who ended the race with a personal record of 22:18.4 in the 6K. Ava Maier and Maya Lacamp rounded out the next Gauchos to finish within the top 100, followed closely by Lexi Darley. Santa Barbara finished 12th of 19 teams in the competition.
"This is a very young team." said Saxena, "This was many of the athletes' first 6Ks of the year and it was good to see some PRs."
In the next two weeks, Santa Barbara will begin laying the groundwork for the Big West Championships in Riverside, Calif. on Saturday, Nov. 2. In quest for a bid to NCAA West Regionals, the men will compete in an 8K at 8:30 a.m. followed by a women's 6K race at 9:15 a.m.
MEN'S RESULTS (138 finishers)
8 - Parker Simmons - 24:08.2
10 - Zachary Parker - 24:17.9
14 - Gus Marshall - 24:30.2
24 - Parker Herbert - 24:47.3 (PR)
27 - Manny Correia - 24:50.2
35 - Parker Stickney - 25:00.9 (PR)
39 - Hayden Owen - 25:09.1 (PR)
52 - Aakersh Mathur - 25:33.0
68 - Jake Ratkovich - 25:45.6
UC Santa Barbara placed 3rd of 17 teams
WOMEN'S RESULTS (182 finishers)
59 - Lindsey Reed - 21:56.6
73 - Jana Barron - 22:06.4
77 - Leah Mendibles - 22:09.0
88 - Sophia Gutierrez - 22:18.4 (PR)
92 - Ava Maier - 22:24.3
96 - Maya Lacamp - 22:29.2
107 - Lexi Darley - 22:38.3
UC Santa Barbara placed 12th of 19 teams
