POMONA, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona men's and women's cross country teams, receiving identical rankings in the national preseason poll at No. 24, begin their highly anticipated 2011 season on Saturday in Riverside.
Last fall, the Broncos produced stellar results as hosts of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships in Whittier and then followed that up with a strong race at the NCAA Division II West Region Championships in snowy Washington. The women's squad performed well enough to advance to the National Championships for the first time since 1985.
On the men's side in 2011, head coach Troy Johnson and assistant coach Tony Reyes are carrying a youthful roster featuring eight freshmen. Although the prospect of a first-year student-athlete might be diminished in other programs, the Broncos certainly got plenty of production in 2010 from
Ryan Carrell. Now a sophomore, Carrell is set to continue to lead the CPP pack. Seniors
Clark Selters and
Scott McMichael also will provide leadership and top marks for the Broncos in 2011.
The women's roster this season carries a careful balance between youth and experience. Continuing the cross country program's success on the course and in the classroom, 2010 All-Academic honorees
Tiffany Dinh and
Diana Zapata return as two key components for CPP's lead group of runners. The Broncos' coaching staff has also added junior transfer
Regina Lopez to the mix, as the Pasadena, Calif., native joins CPP after two solid seasons at Division I Oregon State.
Invitation to the InviteOn Saturday morning, the Broncos open their 2011 season at the UC Riverside Invitational, which is held on the UCR Agricultural Operations (Ag/Ops) Course. The race will not only provide fans and coaches a first glimpse at the CPP teams but also deliver a comparison against the CCAA schools that are competing in the women's race. Cal State L.A., Cal State San Bernardino and Cal State Dominguez Hills will compete against the Broncos Saturday.
Get Set, Go!The first race Saturday will be the top women runners on a 6,000-meter course starting at 7:30 a.m. Competing for CPP in that race will be: Dinh,
Sarah Gulli,
Lizette Huerta, Lopez,
Jenny McCarthy,
Jessica Mendez,
Jazmine Reyes,
Juliana Ruffolo and Zapata. The second race of the day starts at 8:15 a.m. and it will feature the top male runners on an 8,000-meter course. Running for the Broncos in that event will be: Carrell,
Brendan Dilloughery,
Brandon Haugen,
Benjamin Hsueh,
Austin Miller, Selters and
William Tsai.
The racing continues at 9 a.m. with a women's 5,000-meter event. Competing on that course for CPP will be:
Natasha Coe,
Lizette Macias, Johanna Murray,
Lauren Parr and
Lindsey Robertson. Concluding the morning of races will be another 8,000-meter event for the men. Racing for the Broncos will be: Cristian Arranaga,
JonCarlo Nunez,
Julio Ramon and
Andres Zavala.
Pack the CourseOn Saturday, Oct. 1, the Broncos will be competing at the Pomona Pitzer Invitational in Claremont. The rest of the CPP campus community is encouraged to join in support of the cross country teams for a highly-anticipated "Pack the Course" event. By attending the 7:45 a.m. race, fans will be rewarded with free food along with cards to use at Chick-fil-A, Chipotle and Golden Spoon! The best time to arrive is 7:15 a.m. and the address for Pomona Pitzer College is 220 E. 6th Street, Claremont, CA.
