Harriers find positives in mediocre season

Harriers find positives in mediocre season

Despite unfulfilled expectations, men,

women pleased with 1994 campaign

By Mark Singerton

Mebrahtom Keflezighi’s 15th-place finish at the NCAAs Monday
wrapped up a successful season for the UCLA men’s cross country
team. Keflezighi’s performance earned him All-America honors, but
more importantly, it proves how much overall talent and potential
the team has.

"We’re very pleased about what Meb has been able to do," UCLA
coach Bob Larsen said. "The freshmen as a whole have been
outstanding for us."

Keflezighi and fellow freshmen Devon Elizondo and Brandon Del
Campo have combined for much of the Bruin scoring, taking three of
the top five spots at the Stanford Invitational Oct. 1. Freshman
scoring was vital for UCLA this season, which saw lasting injuries
to senior Creighton Harris and sophomore Keith Grossman.

"The team’s determination really helped us this season," Larsen
said. "In spite of the injuries we’ve had, they never gave up. I
think that kind of focus showed at the Pac-10 (Championships) where
we finished third. And the older guys like Brian Gastelum and Dan
Niednagel have shown extraordinary leadership for us. That’s
important for a young team."

Though Gastelum and Harris will no longer be with the Bruins
next season, team morale remains very high.

"We’re definitely going to miss those guys, but we’re still
going to have a great team," Keflezighi said. "I know we have the
talent, and we’re basically coming back with the same team next
year. If we can finish consistently and do our part individually,
it’ll make a big difference for us."

* * *

The 1994 season did not go as planned for the Bruin women, who
saw their hopes for an NCAA bid fall with their fifth-place finish
at the District-8 meet Nov. 12.

The Bruins headed into the season with some of the best talent
in years, having the services of All-Americans Karen Hecox, Shelley
Taylor and an experienced following of upperclassmen. But the
Bruins were plagued by inconsistent finishes, which eventually got
the best of them at season’s end.

"I know the talent was there," junior Jeanene Harlick said. "But
I don’t think we lived up to our expectations. We could never put
together good races by everyone in the same race."

While the Bruins’ Hecox consistently finished at the top, Taylor
uncharacteristically fell back. After her first and second-place
finishes at the outset of the season, her races became sporadic,
and she finished better than sixth only once. At the District-8
meet, she was 13th.

Harlick, one of last season’s most consistent finishers, led off
the season with a second place finish, but by mid season, had
lackluster runs of 54th and 73rd.

Nevertheless, there were a number of bright spots for the Bruins
this year, including the performances of sophomore Maya Muneno and
junior Anna Delgado. Muneno scored for the Bruins in every race,
and UCLA coach Eric Peterson calls Muneno the team’s most
consistent finisher. Delgado ran solidly all season, finishing
third for the Bruins in three of her last four races.

"We came into the season with some pretty lofty goals," Peterson
said. "As far as conditioning and fitness, this team has made
enormous progress in the last six months to get where they are.
There’s no doubt in my mind that this is a better team than last
year’s. This year we beat enough ranked opponents to qualify for
nationals, but we finished on the bubble at the Districts. This
team was capable of more than a fifth-place finish there, but I’m
proud of what we’ve been able to accomplish this season. I think
the program is headed in the right direction."