Friday, November 11
Chambers Creek Park (University Place, WA)
W: 10:00 A.M. / M: 11:00 A.M.
vs
NCAA West Regionals
Photo by: Raymond Tran
Cal Poly Men Capture Eighth, Women Place 11th at NCAA West Regionals
11/11/2022 2:00:00 PM | Cross Country
UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — The Cal Poly cross country program had a strong showing at the NCAA West Regionals on Friday at Chambers Creek Regional Park, as the men captured eighth and the women took home 11th.
Overall, 11 Mustangs recorded personal bests at regionals.
For the Cal Poly men, it's their best finish at regionals since placing seventh in 2013.
The Mustangs were seeking their first team berth to the NCAA Championships since 2011, but came up just short of that goal Friday.
"The reality is that you have to run your best at regionals to advance and we missed the mark today by a little bit," first-year Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ryan Vanhoy said.
Graduate student Jake Ritter attacked the 10K course, running a personal best of 28:43.3 to place 12th overall and earn the Mustangs' highest individual finish at regionals since 2017. With the result, the three-time Big West champion all but locked up an individual berth to the NCAA Championships next Saturday, Nov. 19, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Redshirt juniors John Bennett (29:16.5) and Xian Shively (29:17.8) crossed the finish line in 36th and 37th respectively. Sophomore Aidan McCarthy grabbed 51st (29:34.0) and redshirt sophomore Anthony Guerra earned 64th (29:52.8).
Redshirt sophomore Spencer Thurman placed 74th (30:00.9) and redshirt junior Will Fallini-Haas 100th (30:34.5) to round out the runners that competed at regionals for the Mustang men. Bennett, Shively, McCarthy, Guerra, Thurman and Fallini-Haas all posted personal records.
"This group has made a lot of progress in the last few months which is encouraging for the future," Vanhoy said, "and they've done a lot to elevate the standard of success within our program. I'm proud of our first season together and excited to see how Jake can perform individually at NCAAs."
The 11th-place finish for the Mustang women is their best at regionals since 2018. The Big West champs entered Friday's meet ranked No. 13 in the West Region, but that didn't stop the Mustangs from finishing in front of a pair of Pac-12 schools — UCLA and Washington State — ranked ahead of them.
First-year head women's cross country coach Michelle Chewens said her crew gained valuable experience at regionals that will help them for years to come.
"Our women got out aggressively the first 1K and showed their excitement to compete at this level," Chewens said. "We paid the price for that slightly over the course of the race, but I thought we held on and competed well as a group."
Sophomore Julia Heckey, who grabbed All-Big West honors with a third-place finish at the conference meet, impressed once again, capturing 35th with a 6K time of 20:00.6 to become Cal Poly's highest individual finisher at regionals since 2018.
Graduate student Sydnie Rivas took 65th (20:28.6) and Tatiana Cornejo, The Big West Women's Freshman of the Year, brought home 72nd (20:35.2). In her third West Regional appearance, redshirt junior Misty Diaz achieved a career-best finish, grabbing 81st (20:42.0).
Redshirt junior Amanda Olla placed 89th (20:45.6), sophomore Carissa Buchholz 92nd (20:49.2) and sophomore Nina St. John 145th (21:28.6). Rivas, Cornejo, Diaz and Olla all ran personal bests.
"It's been amazing to watch this team's transformation over this season," Chewens said, "and to finish the regional as the top Big West team and defeating many Pac-12 opponents in the process is a great sign for what's to come in the future."
The complete field for the NCAA National Championships will be announced 2 p.m. Saturday during a selection show on NCAA.com.
Overall, 11 Mustangs recorded personal bests at regionals.
For the Cal Poly men, it's their best finish at regionals since placing seventh in 2013.
The Mustangs were seeking their first team berth to the NCAA Championships since 2011, but came up just short of that goal Friday.
"The reality is that you have to run your best at regionals to advance and we missed the mark today by a little bit," first-year Director of Track & Field and Cross Country Ryan Vanhoy said.
Graduate student Jake Ritter attacked the 10K course, running a personal best of 28:43.3 to place 12th overall and earn the Mustangs' highest individual finish at regionals since 2017. With the result, the three-time Big West champion all but locked up an individual berth to the NCAA Championships next Saturday, Nov. 19, in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Redshirt juniors John Bennett (29:16.5) and Xian Shively (29:17.8) crossed the finish line in 36th and 37th respectively. Sophomore Aidan McCarthy grabbed 51st (29:34.0) and redshirt sophomore Anthony Guerra earned 64th (29:52.8).
Redshirt sophomore Spencer Thurman placed 74th (30:00.9) and redshirt junior Will Fallini-Haas 100th (30:34.5) to round out the runners that competed at regionals for the Mustang men. Bennett, Shively, McCarthy, Guerra, Thurman and Fallini-Haas all posted personal records.
"This group has made a lot of progress in the last few months which is encouraging for the future," Vanhoy said, "and they've done a lot to elevate the standard of success within our program. I'm proud of our first season together and excited to see how Jake can perform individually at NCAAs."
The 11th-place finish for the Mustang women is their best at regionals since 2018. The Big West champs entered Friday's meet ranked No. 13 in the West Region, but that didn't stop the Mustangs from finishing in front of a pair of Pac-12 schools — UCLA and Washington State — ranked ahead of them.
First-year head women's cross country coach Michelle Chewens said her crew gained valuable experience at regionals that will help them for years to come.
"Our women got out aggressively the first 1K and showed their excitement to compete at this level," Chewens said. "We paid the price for that slightly over the course of the race, but I thought we held on and competed well as a group."
Sophomore Julia Heckey, who grabbed All-Big West honors with a third-place finish at the conference meet, impressed once again, capturing 35th with a 6K time of 20:00.6 to become Cal Poly's highest individual finisher at regionals since 2018.
Graduate student Sydnie Rivas took 65th (20:28.6) and Tatiana Cornejo, The Big West Women's Freshman of the Year, brought home 72nd (20:35.2). In her third West Regional appearance, redshirt junior Misty Diaz achieved a career-best finish, grabbing 81st (20:42.0).
Redshirt junior Amanda Olla placed 89th (20:45.6), sophomore Carissa Buchholz 92nd (20:49.2) and sophomore Nina St. John 145th (21:28.6). Rivas, Cornejo, Diaz and Olla all ran personal bests.
"It's been amazing to watch this team's transformation over this season," Chewens said, "and to finish the regional as the top Big West team and defeating many Pac-12 opponents in the process is a great sign for what's to come in the future."
The complete field for the NCAA National Championships will be announced 2 p.m. Saturday during a selection show on NCAA.com.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
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