DAVIS, Calif. – The UC Davis cross country team returns to the course for the first time in 2023 as they travel to San Luis Obispo to participate in the Big West Preview on Friday.
The Blacklake Golf Course will be not only the site of the season opener but the Big West Championship as well. The women start things off at 8:30 a.m. on a 5k course and the men will follow with a 6k at 9:15 a.m.
Outside of UCD, six Big West schools will be making the trip to Nipomo to get a sneak peek at the site of this year's Big West Championship — CSUN, Long Beach State, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and host Cal Poly. In addition, Cal State Monterey Bay and Westmont will also compete, along with the San Diego State women's team.
The event will mark the first time since 2016 that Cal Poly has hosted a cross country meet. The course for the women's 5K consists of one 1K loop and a pair of 2K loops, while the men will run three 2K loops.
The Aggie women are coming off a third-place finish, while the men finished fifth in 2022 at the Big West Championship. Individual champion
Brianna Weidler returns for her junior season. Weidler became the first Aggie to represent UC Davis at the NCAA Championships since 2008.
Also on the women's side,
Sierra Atkins returns for her season campaign. Atkins placed fourth last season at the championship, marking her second-straight top-5 finish at the conference meet. The Ags return six runners that toed the line in Riverside a year ago.
On the men's side, the young squad has a year of experience under their belt.
Simon Fuller and
Austin Vasquez return to lead the men. Vasquez paced the Aggies at the Agricultural Operations Course last season with a 15
th place finish, while Fuller was 24
th. UCD also boasts six returners from the championship meet.
This offseason, head coach
Emma Petersen inked a contract extension through 2026. The 2021 Big West Conference Coach of the Year has guided the Aggies since 2018. In her four seasons at the helm, UC Davis has flourished on the trail and the oval.
Petersen led the Ags to their first conference title in cross country since 2014, when UC Davis was crowned Big West champions in 2021. The Aggies placed five runners in the top-10, including three in the top-5 to run away from the field with 26 points.
UC Davis has enjoyed great team success in cross country in her four seasons as the women have finished in the top-3 every year and the men have placed in the top-5 three times.
The Aggies return to the course for their next meet when they host the Stump Invitational. The meet will be held on Friday, Sept. 15, at the Wildhorse Golf Club.
