Long Beach State University Athletics
Women Shatter Top-10 at Big West
10/30/2004 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
49er Women Crush the Top-10; Men Exceed Predictions RIVERSIDE, CA-- Five Long Beach State women moved into the top-10 all-time thanks to a stellar run at the Big West Championships, as overall, 11 runners finished with personal best's on Saturday. Both teams finished in sixth place in the two of the most competitive races in Big West history. Prior to this year, just five Long Beach State women ran 23:00 or better in a 6K race, this year five equaled that, in one race, led by sophomore Nicole Blalock (Orange). Blalock became the first 49er to run under 22 minutes, racing to a school-record 21:52.2 in the 6K. Blalock finished 23rd overall as she along with the entire women's squad (7) ran personal best's. Teammate Crystal Roethlisberger (Tulare) ran the second-fastest time in school-history, 22:01.4 to finish 31st, as both women ran faster than Mary Colburn's time of 22:01 at the Fresno Regionals in 2000. "This was a real competitive meet, and based on time, the most competitive we have been in school-history," said first year Distance Coach Matt Roe. "And to do this with the injuries and health issues that we have had, it is a real accomplishment. To run some of the best times in school-history, this is a huge step forward." A trio of 49er women rounded out the top-10, finishing with the seventh, eighth and ninth fastest times, as Meredith Kramon (Larkspur) ran 22:35.1 for 46th, Bethany Gardner (Newcastle) ran 22:36.9 for 48th and Danielle Miller (Palo Alto) ran 23:00.6 for 57th. UC Santa Barbara won the women's race with 29 points, as the 49ers finished with 187 points. On the men's side, Jimmy Grabow (Running Springs) was the top 49er finisher, running 24th with a time of 25:08.9. The 49ers men, who were picked to finish in eighth place, move up two spots to sixth with 158 points. Cal Poly, ranked No. 6, won the race with 37 points. LBSU finished right on the heels of UC Irvine (103 points) and CS Fullerton (117) and 44 points ahead of seventh place Idaho (202). "This men's program has come a long way over the past two months," said Roe. "To be so young and so aggressive and to come so close to beating teams they were not even close to eight weeks ago, tells you just how far they have come." Wolhan Ovalle finished in 30th place with a time of 25:23.2, while Kenny Lawrence (Ramona) was one of four men to run personal best's, finishing 32nd with a time of 25:30.2 Jason Bruton (Running Springs), Scott Breithaupt (Murrieta), and Daniel Estrella (Long Beach/St. John Bosco HS) also set personal best's. Both cross country teams will compete at the West Regionals in Fresno on November 13. BIG WEST CHAMPIONSIPS INDIVIDUAL 49ERS--Winner--Lauren Christman, UCSB 20:35.1; 23. Nicole Blalock, 21:51.2; 31. Crystal Roethlisberger, 22:01.4; 46. Meredith Kramon, 22:35.1; 48. Bethany Gardner, 22:36.9; 57. Danielle Miller, 23:00.6; Morgan Noe, 23:19.5 MEN'S TEAM SCORES - 8K: Cal Poly-37; Utah State-67; UC Santa Barbara-73; UC Irvine-103; CS Fullerton-117; LONG BEACH STATE-158; Idaho-202; UC Riverside-221; CS Northridge-238 INDIVIDUAL 49ERS-- Winner--Trevor Ball, Utah State 24:08.8; 24. Jimmy Grabow, 25:08.9; 30. Wolhan Ovalle, 25:23.2; 32. Kenny Lawrence, 25:30.2; 40. Jason Bruton, 25:42.7; 42. Daniel Estrella, 25:47.5; 43. Scot Breithaupt, 25:49.4; 47. Jacob Kruczynski, 26:03.3; 60. Andy Ponce de Leon, 26:30.5; 65. Jon Breed, 27:12.5 |
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