SAN BERNARDINO -- Cal State San Bernardino will host the 2008 California Collegiate Athletic Association men’s and women’s cross country championships on Saturday at Glen Helen Regional Park in nearby Devore.
This is the first time since the Coyotes women’s cross country program was reinstated in 1996-97 that the University has hosted a conference championship meet. The women’s 6,000-meter race is set for 9 a.m. and the men’s 8,000-meter race will go off at 9:45 a.m.
“It (the event) gives us credibility with the other schools in the conference to show that we are a legitimate program,” said Head Coach Tom Burleson, the dean of CSUSB coaches and the only coach the program has had since its inception in 1984-85. The program was dropped in 1991 when the university moved from NCAA Division III to Division II.
The meet brings together 11 women’s teams and seven men’s teams to compete for the CCAA championship. The top 15 finishers in each race will earn all-CCAA honors. Coach of the Year, Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors will also be announced after the meet.
On the women’s side, three of the 11 teams are ranked among the Top 25 in the nation in NCAA Division II. Chico State is No. 4, Cal State L.A. No. 15 and UC San Diego is No. 21. Chico State also is No. 1 in the West Region followed by Cal State L.A. (No. 2), UC San Diego (No. 5) and San Francisco State (No. 10).
The top-ranked team on the men's side is Chico State, which is ranked No. 4 in the nation. UC San Diego enters the conference championships No. 18. The Wildcats are ranked No. 1 in the West Region and followed by UC San Diego (No. 4), Cal Poly Pomona (No. 6) and Humboldt State (No. 7).
Chico State is the defending men’s champion while Cal State L.A. won the women’s team title in 2007.
All 11 CCAA institutions field a women's teams, while Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, Humboldt State, San Francisco State and UC San Diego field men's programs.
The Coyotes women will be competing against Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State Los Angeles, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Stanislaus, Chico State, Humboldt State, San Francisco State, Sonoma State, and UC San Diego.
CCAA WOMEN’S NOTES: Cal State San Bernardino's Nikki Chesnut has posted season-best times of 19:12 for 5,000 meters at the UC Riverside Invitational and 24:30 for 6,000 meters over the same Glen Helen Park course as Saturday’s conference meet….Chico State is led by senior Kayla Silva, an all-CCAA runner, 2007 Division II All-American and two-time CCAA champion at 800 meters and an NCAA qualifier at 1,500 meters…..UC San Diego has Bre Schofield, a freshman who has been the team’s top finisher in every meet and won the CSUSB Invitational at Glen Helen on Sept. 20 in 22:09. She has been a Top 10 finisher in every race this season….UCSD’s Ashleigh Montgomery ran 22:50 at the Slippery Rock Pre-National Invitational to finish 11th….Cal State Stanislaus has the Foldager twins (Rubye and Denali), both freshmen from Alaska. Along with senior
April Montgomery (24:20 at the CSUSB meet) and
Clarissa Rivera (24:30) they give the Warriors a solid crew….Cal Poly Pomona has Tiffany Turner who finished sixth at the UCSD meet in 22:01. Turner has four Top 10 finishes this season. Amber Hebb ran 23:01 for CPP at the Tritons meet to finish 15th…..San Francisco. State is led by Anna Bretan, a 2008 All-American at 5,000 meters and a bronze medalist at the NCAA Division II Championship…Defending champion Cal State L.A. is led by Vivien Wadeck, a junior who earned CCAA runner of the week three times this season. She finished second at the Slippery Rock pre-Nationals meet in 22:08 for 6K. Teammate Liliana Hernandez ran 23:07 at Slippery Rock and was 8th in the 2007 CCAA meet in 21:32.4 and 8th at the 2007 West Regional meet….Humboldt State has Megan Rolland, a junior who finished 28th at the 2007 CCAA meet along with Clare Nowel and Irene Graham.
CCAA MEN’S NOTES: Seven-time defending CCAA Champion Chico State is led by Scott Bauhs, a two-time NCAA track champion (5K and 10K) . He was the fourth-fastest U.S. runner at 10K in 2008 and a U.S. Olympic Trials participant… Bauhs is unbeaten during the 2008 cross country season, including a win at the Stanford Invitational for the second year in a row….Brendan Scanlon was a Division II All-American as a freshman a year ago…..Angel Marquez was the NCAA Division II runner-up at 1,500 meters in 2008 and All-CCAA and All-West Region following the 2007 cross country season...Jordan Fairley was the CCAA steeplechase champion in 2008…..Cal Poly Pomona’s Jersain Torres won the CSUSB Invitational 8K in September in 25:25, earning CCAA Runner of the Week honors…San Francisco State is led by Josh Babiak, a 2005 Division II All-American and an All-CCAA runner in 2005 and 2006...He did not compete in 2007...Cal State Stanislaus has junior
Joey Nunes, who finished 13th at the CSUSB Invitational in 26:56...UC San Diego is led by Jake LeViuex, who finished second at the Coyotes Invitational 8K in 25:32 and fourth at the Slippery Rock Pre-Nationals after posting a time of 25:24... Jesse Morrill has twice been the team’s top finisher this season and has four Top 10 results...Gabe LeMothe was 8th at the Slippery Rock meet in 26:00 and has three Top 10 finishes…Eric Malain, a sophomore, has won two meets this year for Humboldt State with a best 8K time of 26:06…..Andrew Sylvester was the team’s No. 1 at the Humboldt State Invitational after running a time 26:02. Jesus Solis has an 8K-best time of 25:48.