Oct. 28, 2006
Complete Results
Ft. Wayne, Ind. - Competing in their final NCAA Division I Independent Championships, the UC Davis men's and women's cross country teams both enjoyed great performances on Saturday morning on a muddy course at Hefner Fields in Ft. Wayne, Ind. Behind a first-place finish by Chris Ferren-Cirino, the Aggie men reclaimed the team title with a total of 35 points while the women were led by Lorin Scott's sixth-place showing as they finished third with 64 points.
UC Davis will no longer compete at the Division I Independent Championships as they are eligible to compete for the Big West title next season.
The men got big contributions all around that led them to a slim three-point victory over runners-up North Dakota State. The women enjoyed gritty performances by their runners as they finished just eight points away from first-place South Dakota State.
Ferren-Cirino capped a stellar career by claiming the overall title in the men's race with his time of 25:19.3. The first-place finish gives Ferren-Cirino, who entered the meet as a three-time recipient of conference runner of the week honors, a top-three finish in all five meets this season.
Along with Ferren-Cirino, the other two Aggie seniors stepped up and put in huge days that helped claim the title. Christopher Pecot had his best race of the season as he finished in third-place in 25:39.8 while fellow senior Jorge Murillo placed sixth in 25:50.3. The finishes sent the seniors off on positive notes and gave the Aggies crucial low points.
UC Davis also got a huge contribution from freshman Thomas Dileo as he put in the best race of his young collegiate career with an eighth-place (26:02.6) finish. After taking off a couple weeks, K.C. Cody returned and helped close the door on the Aggie victory as he came across the line in 26.53.0 to finish in 17th.
Chris Fuller also enjoyed a stellar day as he came in 20th-place with a time of 27.03.1. Freshman Arran Rogerson rounded out the impressive day with a top-25 finish in 27:24.3.
Scott again led the charge for the women as she placed sixth with a time of 22:36.3. It marked the fourth time this season that Scott has run up front for the Aggies. Senior Laura Sharp took advantage of her last career race and was the Aggies' second-best finisher with her ninth-place time of 22:48.1.
Brianna Larson and Kaitlin Gregg finished right behind in 11th and 13th-place, respectively, with times of 22:57.1 and 23:07.6. Senior Kelsey Kaiser also ended her career on a high note as she capped the Aggie scorers with a 25th-place finish (23:41.1).
Amy Robinson and Jenny Perham gained valuable experience at this meet as the freshman-sophomore duo ran together and finished 27th and 28th, respectively, only a little over a second apart (23:53.5, 23:54.0).
This meet caps the 2006 season for the women's squad. Overall this season, the team continued to gain experience for a young group of runners and in the process finished high in all six meets. The men will send a select group of runners to the USTAF Pacific Association Championships in San Francisco on Nov. 19.
NCAA Division I Independent Championships
Hefner Fields, Ft. Wayne, Ind. (IPFW)
Oct. 28, 2006
UC Davis Results Only
MEN
INDIVIDUAL: 1. Chris Ferren-Cirino, 25:19.3; 3. Chris Pecot, 25:39.8; 6. Jorge Murillo, 25:50.3; 8. Thomas Dileo, 26:02.6; 17. K.C. Cody, 26:53.0; 20. Chris Fuller, 27:03.1; 25. Arran Rogerson, 27:24.3; Keli Parker, 26:26.5.
TEAM: 1. UC Davis, 35; 2. North Dakota State, 38; 3. South Dakota State, 106; 4. Texas Pan-American, 112; 5. Utah Valley State, 127; 6. Longwood, 139; 7. IPFW, 169; 8. NJIT, 195; 9. Chicago State, 269.
WOMEN INDIVIDUAL: 1. Becka Mansheim, South Dakota State, 22:05.9... 6. Lorin Scott, 22:36.3; 9. Laura Sharp, 22:48.1; 11. Brianna Larson, 22:57.1; 13. Kaitlin Gregg, 23:07.6; 25. Kelsey Kaiser, 23:41.1; 27. Amy Robinson, 25:53.5; 28. Jenny Perham, 23:54.0; Tiffany Knox, 24:05.4.
TEAM: 1. South Dakota State, 55; 2. IPFW, 58; 3. UC Davis, 64; 4. Utah Valley State, 66; 5. North Dakota State, 142; 6. Texas Pan-American, 143; 7. Longwood, 190: 8. NJIT, 240; 9. Chicago State, 257.
