UCLA cross country to begin Pac-12, NCAA championship run

The cross country season is now kicking into high gear.

UCLA cross country will make the trip to the Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland to compete for the Pac-12 championships on Friday.

The No. 29 women’s team will begin the event with 6k race, while the No. 11 men’s team will be racing on an 8k course an hour later.

UCLA cross country coach Forest Braden called the Pac-12 the “best distance conference in the country” in a press release by UCLA Athletics, and those words are corroborated by the national rankings, which include several teams from the conference.

“We have been working as hard as any team in the country, and I know the attitude on this team is as good as any in the country,” Braden said in the statement. “So now we’ll just lay it on the line on Friday and see what happens.”

There are four other nationally ranked teams in the Pac-12 – No. 1 Colorado, No. 2 Oregon, No. 9 Stanford and No. 12 Washington – that the men’s team will have to compete with.

On the other hand, the women will be competing with five ranked teams, including No. 3 Oregon, No. 7 Colorado, No. 11 Stanford, No. 17 Washington and No. 22 Arizona State.

Although the field of the women’s competition for the Pac-12 may seem stacked with talent, the Bruins said they still believe they will be able to perform against their highly regarded opponents.

“We think we can really surprise some people, especially some teams,” said senior Meghan Marvin. “Our goal is to be top five this year.”

After the Pac-12 championships, the Bruins will have to start preparing for the NCAA regionals on Nov. 14 and begin their bid for qualifying for the NCAA championships in Terre Haute, Ind., which will take place about a week later.

Compiled by Aubrey Yeo, Bruin Sports senior staff.