UCLA cross country teams to face No. 1 Stanford

Saturday’s Stanford Invitational will be a litmus test for how far the men’s and women’s cross country teams can go this season.

While fueled by solid performances in Fullerton and San Diego State earlier in the month, this weekend’s race will be the first opportunity for both teams to come with full squads eager to compete and move up in the standings.

“Everything from here on out is big,” coach Forest Braden said.

After weeks of early morning two-hour workouts, afternoon tempo runs and three-mile cooldowns, this race will mark the commencement of a season built on dedication.

“From day one we’ve had a solid work ethic, a sense of urgency and a desire no matter if it’s early in the season or late to make sure we’re on,” Braden said.

On a grass course that features flat terrain, the men’s runners know that they will have to run consistently. Redshirt senior Jake Matthews will bring his experience to help advance a talented group that includes several freshmen.

“It’s going to be a fast, tough race. We’re all pushing one another,” Matthews said.

Redshirt junior Dylan Knight looks forward to representing the school at his first Stanford Invitational.

“I’m excited to get the chance to show what UCLA running is all about … and to see where we’re at and how fast we are,” he said.

The best gauge of the team’s abilities will come from competing against a talented field of schools such as No. 1 Stanford , which features a strong pair of frontrunners in Chris Derrick and Elliott Heath. It will be a challenge, but the Bruins believe that they have put themselves in a situation to succeed.

“As long as we work hard, then it’ll be a good day,” Knight said.

For senior Shannon Murakami and the women’s squad, the focus will be on moving together as a team.

“We want to have a closer, tighter-knit pack,” Murakami said.

“We’re working on closing the gap between our first and fifth runners.”

As with most of the events, the goal will be to avoid having anyone stray away from the team and enter what Murakami calls “no-man’s land,” a period of separation in which runners face the miles ahead alone. Because of the high mental toll incurred from the endurance sport, one of the greatest strengths for cross country runners is the comfort and mettle of running stride-for-stride with one another.

“You don’t want to let that pack go. If everyone believes in you, you start to believe in yourself,” Murakami said.

With increased efforts at becoming a unified group, this young team has made great progress leading up to Saturday.

“Most of the women haven’t raced since Fullerton, so they’re itching to get out there,” Braden said. “Our top four are rolling. Shannon, Kelcie (Wiemann) and our two freshman girls (Melissa Skiba and Sierra Vega) are working together well and should do some big things this weekend and beyond.”