UCLA
Fresno Cross Country Invitational
UCLA Cross Country Excels at Fresno Invitational
September 01, 2018 | Cross Country
FRESNO, Calif. โ The UCLA cross country team had an impressive performance in its first meet of the 2018 season, with the men taking first place and the women taking second at the Fresno Cross Country Invitational at Woodward Park.
"I'm really proud of the group and how they handled themselves on the course today," said UCLA assistant coach Devin Elizondo. "This group was like the leadoff batter for the year, and they've put us in a good spot to start the season."
The Bruins dominated the men's 4-mile course, placing the top two and five of the top seven finishers. Redshirt sophomore Chris Morzenti logged the best result of his career to date, coming in first with a time of 20:31.90. Freshman Munir Kabbara, in his UCLA debut, was hot on his heels, taking second at 20:34.70.
Freshman Artin Allahverdian (20:46.60, fourth) and redshirt sophomore Andy Ehrenberg (20:48.00, fifth) rounded out UCLA's top-five finishers. Redshirt sophomore Tyler Janes (20:59.30, seventh) and sophomore DJ Lawson (22:10.70) had solid debut efforts as well.
"We're really happy with how our young guys performed, but that is a reflection of how our older guys took the reins, executed the race plan, and allowed the freshmen to relax and not feel so much pressure," said Elizondo. "To break from camp and get a good, strong race effort like this is very encouraging. Placing five guys in the top-seven bodes well for us."
Redshirt sophomore Lilly Schmidt led the UCLA women in the 5K course, taking third with a time of 18:28.30.
A few moments later, quartet of Bruins crossed the finish line in succession to secure the second place finish, starting with freshman Sophie Scott (18:49.90, ninth) and followed by freshman Alyssa Bautista (18:53.70, 10th), sophomore Paige Carter (18:55.70, 11th), and freshman Annabelle Werner (19:00.90). Redshirt sophomore Grace McAuley rounded out the UCLA group with a 17th-place finish at 19:16.80, putting all the Bruin women inside the top-20.
"It's early and this is a young group, but they did a good job," said Elizondo. "Today was a real bright spot for Lilly, that's about as good a race as she's ever run on this course. We're in the middle of a block of training, so for them to be able to race hard and race fast despite that is a good sign for us."
Other teams competing in the race include Sacramento State, UNLV, Fresno State, Fresno Pacific, and CSU Bakersfield.ย
UCLA is next in action on Sept. 29, competing in both the Stanford Invitational and The Master's University XC Invite in Santa Clarita, Calif.
Players Mentioned
