Men 13th, Women 15th.
The men improved significantly over conferences, dropping their team average time over 45 seconds. The other SCIAC teams in the race just happened to improve the same amount (Oxy improved 90 seconds by adding in Ramon and making Kevin work hard.) We fielded an interesting team - three seniors and two freshmen. Congratulations to Anton and Sachith for excellent freshman seasons - they'll form the backbone of the distance program for years. And congratulations to Matt, David, and Steve for putting the finishing touches on collegiate cross country careers that already stood as testaments to their dedication and drive.
The women ran faster than their opponents from La Verne, losing very narrowly in the scoring. They also ran very nearly the same times as Whittier, with a large point margin resulting from Whittier's star runner. Though the numbers weren't in our favor, I admire the women's team's self-motivation, evident in their morning practices. When setbacks from injuries threatened their season, they responded by working harder and racing better. Justine's improvement of the course of the season was remarkable, and Katherine's big career-ending PR was a huge boon as well. A team with so many talented freshmen as this one surely has good years ahead of it.
If ever a SCIAC team will make a real mark on the national scene in DIII, it will be Oxy 2007. With two potential all-americans in their senior year and three more national-class runners behind them, it'll be the first time since the CMS teams of long ago (i.e. Ian's generation) that there's a legitimate team threat from the SCIAC. Pomona had Crosby and Will, of course, but their individual performances always overshadowed the team.
If they take three teams from the west region, then CMS' freshman Brian Kopczynski would be the fifth individual from the west, which should take him to nationals. I haven't met this guy, but he's moved up through the ranks of SCIAC runners each race to become number 4 in SCIAC this year. The long-time vanguard of SCIAC (Crosby, Will, Danny, Kevin, and Alex) will all be gone by next year, and there is a gap there that needs to be filled.
Does anyone who watched the men's race want to give a Kevin Chaves report? Julian Boggs was 3rd last year, and beat Leer at regionals. Kevin putting 12 seconds on him and 20 on the rest of the field seems significant.
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7 comments:
All I can say about Kevin is that he seemed to be in total command. He was up there with that Colorado College guy for the first 2k or so, but the next time I got a good look at him (with about a mile to go) he was decisively in control. When I talked to him after the race he said that the whole time he was afraid that Boggs was going to outkick him at the end.
So, from my perspective it went like this: the first time I see them, they're neck-and-neck duking it out, and it looks like things might get ugly. The next time, Chaves comes through looking like a wildcat and Boggsie is behind him looking totally crushed. The "WTF?!" look on his face was priceless.
that's truly impressive. boggs is a great competitor. i guess nationals will tell the tale, but i'd love to see something big from kevin.
Beware the beast that is the East! I want to see Chaves dominate, but the east coast always has badboys to beat.
Always remember: finishing time is meaningless in cross country, especially across two different courses.
I think I read that Boggs has been hurt.
Ryan is absolutely right. Also, conditions will hit everyone different. Wasn't last year's XC Nationals meet something like wading through 9 feet of mud?
Yeah, the Oxy boys didn't handle it too well last year. Conditions shouldn't be that bad this year - but I still don't think they can run with those midwest schools. I say the Tigers finish between 11th and 15th.
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