2011 CCAA Championships Results

SANTA ROSA, Calif. - Ryan Carrell turned in another solid conference championship performance on Saturday, placing fifth individually to lead the young Cal Poly Pomona men's cross country team to an overall finish of fifth. Carrell ended the race less than 10 seconds after the first-place runner.

The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships, hosted by Sonoma State, presented a tough 8,000-meter course at Spring Lake Regional Park in Santa Rosa. Carrell raced it well, crossing the line in 25:48.9 to earn All-CCAA First Team honors. The fifth-place finish matched the spot he recorded at the 2010 championships in Whittier.

"Ryan did a good job of frustrating Chico State, as they wanted to get a perfect score for having the top-five runners," Broncos' head coach Troy Johnson said. "Even their coach came over to tell me how tough 'that Carrell kid' is."

Also receiving recognition on the CPP squad was Brandon Haugen, who came across the line as the second-fastest CPP runner, beating HSU freshman Brent Ritschel by less than a second to take 27th overall with a 27:16.7 mark. That finish earned Haugen the CCAA Freshman of the Year award.

"Overall, it's disappointing to finish fifth," Johnson said. "But fifth place doesn't show the fight and the spirit that our guys had today. Being that our team is so young, the runners aren't accustomed to racing at this level yet. If you look at our pack though, this fifth-place spot is very, very temporary. It's not going to take long for us to return to the upper echelon of teams in our conference."

As a team in the 2011 race, the Broncos totaled 130 points. That mark fell just 21 points shy of fourth-place Humboldt State.

Carrell proved to be the only non-Chico State runner in the top 11, as the Wildcats cruised to a 10th-straight conference title. Senior Adrian Sherrod took first place overall with a time of 25:39.0.

After Carrell, the next three finishers for the Broncos were freshmen. Those three and the final point-getter, junior Andres Zavala, placed in the 27-minute timeframe.

Next in for the Broncos after Carrell and Haugen was William Tsai, recording a 27:39.9 time to take 32nd. Teammate Austin Miller was not far behind Tsai, as he placed 34th at 27:46.4. Immediately after in 35th was Zavala to conclude the CPP scoring, crossing the line in 27:49.5.

"Hats off to senior Clark Selters, who ran on an injured foot and battled it the whole way," said Johnson, referring to the Claremont, Calif., native who recorded a 27:54.3 mark Saturday.

Up next for the Broncos will be the NCAA Division II West Region Championships, to be held in Spokane, Wash., on Saturday, Nov. 5.