Running for the championship
On Saturday, the Utah State University men’s and women’s cross country teams travel to San Luis Obispo, Calif., to compete in the Big West Conference Championships.
The men’s race is slated to start at 9:30 a.m., with the women’s race beginning at 10:45 a.m. The men will run eight kilometers and the women, five kilometers.
The last time the men’s team captured the conference title was in 1994. The women’s team has only taken first place once since 1990.
With several strong showings at prestigious meets around the country, both teams have reason to be excited about this weekend’s race.
The men’s team has finished no lower than second at a meet this year and the women’s team has finished in the top five in three of the four meets in which they have competed, including first place at the Utah State Invitational.
“Our goal right now is to win the Big West Conference Championship,” senior runner Brick Bergeson said.
The men’s team’s strength lies in the fact that they are so balanced, Bergeson said. In four different meets, four different runners have finished first for the Aggies. They are: Steve Prescott (Idaho State Invitational), Mitch Zundel (Notre Dame Invitational), Dusan Hlubocky (Stanford Invitational) and Brick Bergeson (Utah State Invitational).
“We all have to perform well to succeed,” Bergeson said. “I have no doubt that we will make it to nationals.”
Before that happens, the Aggies must perform well this weekend in California and then at the Regional Tournament in Provo on Saturday, Nov. 10.
While at Provo, members of the men’s team said their goal is to finish second behind the University of Colorado – ranked No. 1 in the country.
The women’s team boasts four runners who have had top 10 finishes in various meets on the year. They are Kristen Coombs, Christi Howell, Shae Messersmith and the top overall finisher at the Utah State Invitational, Melanie McClellan.