Oct. 27, 2005

DAVIS, Calif. - The UC Davis men's and women's cross country teams prepare for their return trip to Corpus Christi, Texas to defend their titles at the NCAA Division I Independent Championships this Saturday.

The UC Davis women will look to defend their title when they square off against nine teams in the 5-kilometer race that begins at 8:00 a.m. (CDT). The Aggie men will battle eight teams in a five-mile race starting at 8:45 a.m.

Sophomore Kim Conley won last year's individual title with a time of 17 minutes, 7 seconds while junior Jorge Murillo finished second for the Aggie men in 25:44. Both return for UC Davis this year.

UC Davis participated in its first Independent Championships last year as an opportunity for its student-athletes to compete in a sanctioned postseason championship against other schools not affiliated with a conference.

UC Davis, in its third year of the reclassification to Division I, won both the men's and women's titles at the Independent Championships last year, but this year's championships will engage the Aggie men's and women's teams with new challenges.

Both UC Davis men's and women's squads lost key members of last year's teams to graduation, including Pricilla Moreno and Eva Gut who were second and fifth for the women's team respectively, and Will Merchad, Tim Helms, and Matt Cooley who were third, fifth, and sixth for the men's team, respectively. The result has left UC Davis cross country with mostly freshman and sophomores.

"(We have) a lot of youth. It's a young team, but with solid leadership," said cross country coach Jason Jaques. The leadership Jaques refers to is found in his veterans like senior Tony Ahr for the men's squad and senior Michelle Solone for the women's squad. Both have been running for UC Davis prior to its four-year transition from Division II to Division I.

"It's been a changing of the guard and mindset," said Jaques about the few remaining Division II veterans combined with the new majority of young future Division I runners that comprise the team. The younger UC Davis men's and women's teams will be facing older, more seasoned teams this year.

This year's Independent Championships are stacked with stiff competition. For the women's race, UC Davis is considered one of the favorites along with South Dakota State, Indiana-Purdue-Ft. Wayne, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.

"It will be close, probably a 5-point range for the win," says Jaques.

The men's race for the title will also be tight when the Aggie men get on the line with South Dakota State, Texas-Pan American, and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, each of which is expected to give the Aggies a strong challenge. The race features three Division II All-Americans that redshirted last year but are competing this season.

"Competition is much tougher this year," said Jaques. Having fewer veterans might seem like a disadvantage for the UC Davis cross country team, but Jacques is optimistic. "The season has been confidence building for both teams."

At the Aggie Open in September, the UC Davis women took third to nationally ranked California and San Jose State while the men placed second to a very strong California team. But it was the Williamette Invitational three weeks later that was "the race where we started to get rolling," said Jaques. "It was the best race of the year so far on the men's side."

The UC Davis men took fifth to four nationally ranked Division I teams. For the women's team, the Stanford Invitational in late September has been its best performance of the season with a fifth-place team finish. The Aggies were led by Conley who has been the Aggies' top finisher in each race this season.

"The top seven runners for both our teams are getting their confidence," said Jaques. That confidence has been well earned with hard work and long miles. The women's team runs an average of 50-60 miles per week and the men's team runs an average of 70-80 miles.

This Saturday at the Independent Championships, the Aggie men and women will face stronger teams than last year on a course with rolling hills and hotter weather, but Jaques is confident in his squads. "We're ready to go and we should do well," said Jaques.

(Written by Stuart Eastman, UC Davis undergraduate and former member of Aggie cross country team.)