MALIBU, Calif. – The UC Santa Barbara Men's and Women's Cross Country teams are gearing up to kick off their season with the Big Wave Invitational, which Pepperdine will host on Friday, Aug. 29. This meet will serve as an opener for the Gaucho's 2025 fall season, an opportunity to set the tone for a competitive campaign to the Big West Championships.

DETAILS
Race 1: Men's 6K at 4:30 pm
Race 2: Women's 4k at 5:15 pm
Location: Alumni Park, Pepperdine University, Malibu, Calif.
Forecast: Warm, mostly sunny skies with a high of 81* and winds at 10 to 15 mph
How to follow: follow along with finished results

LAST SEASON
UC Santa Barbara's Women's Cross Country finished the 2024 season by placing eighth in the Big West Championships, led by rising senior Ava Maier who finished 26th out of 29 individuals on the 6K course. Men's cross country finished seventh in the Big West, once again led by rising junior Parker Simmons who posted a time of 24:14.3 on the 8K course in a 15th place finish. Both teams qualified for the 2024 NCAA West Regionals hosted by Washington State. This season, both teams aim to rise in the Big West standings, earn a return trip to the NCAA West Regional Championships, and secure a spot at the NCAA National Championships.

NEXT UP 
During September, the Gauchos will host a home meet with the Gaucho Twilight on Friday, Sept. 19th, gearing up to travel to Oregon for the Charles Bowel Invite on Saturday, Oct. 4th.

ROSTER ADDITIONS
Women's Cross Country will see the debut of seven freshmen (Axelle Allanic, Sierra Gill, Kianna Larsson, Jordin Lieberman, Addie Oversmith, Addison Paladino, Isabel Ross). The men's team will feature four new runners (Camden Luecht, Will Mulliken, Sam Vellutini, and David Winston).