UCLA cross country boasts strong runners, old and new

Monday, September 28, 1998

UCLA cross country boasts strong runners, old and new

PREVIEW: Senior Mark Hauser, sophomore Julie Ott lead way for
Bruin teams in ‘rebuilding’ season

By Traci Mack

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Consider this: in the time it takes you to read this article,
the 1998 UCLA cross country team could probably run a mile and
back.

Seeking to better their seventh place finish at last year’s
Western Regionals, the Bruin long-distance corps, headed by Bob
Larsen and Eric Peterson, faces challenging competition on the road
to the Pac-10 peak.

Leading the way for the Bruins on the men’s squad will be senior
Mark Hauser, who is coming off of a highly successful 1997. The No.
2 runner for the Bruins last year, Hauser barely missed qualifying
for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
Champion-ship with an eighth-place finish at regionals. His
11th-place effort at the Pac-10 Championship and All-American
status at the 1998 NCAA Track Indoor Championship further
solidified his status as a contender for the overall cross-country
crown. This season, Bruin fans can look for Hauser to be running
like water – just as consistent, and just as smooth.

Also forces to be reckoned with – if you can catch up with them,
that is – are returning runners Will Bernaldo, Daniel Brecht and
Matt Pitts.

Bernaldo, who joined UCLA in 1997 after transferring from Cal
State Northridge, was the Bruins’ No. 4 runner last year. Looking
to improve on his highest finish of last year – 13th at the Texas
Invite – Bernaldo should continue his ascent to the heights of the
NCAA distance running elite.

As a sophomore last year, Brecht ran in every major meet,
garnering a seventh place finish at the Texas Invite. He placed
46th overall at Western Regionals and is expected to contribute
heavily to this year’s squad.

Pitts was selected by his teammates as last year’s Most Improved
Runner, rewarding his incredible work ethic and enthusiasm. This
year, Pitts’ continued trend of improvement should take him far in
the Pac-10 pack.

Although the men’s team returns with three of its of five
runners from last year, the team’s losses are substantial.
Mebrahtom Keflezghi, last year’s NCAA cross-country national
champion, graduated in 1998 and went on to sign a contract with
Nike. Keflezghi, who set school records in the 5,000-meter and
10,000-meter, also boasted three NCAA distance titles to his
name.

Devin Elizondo and Matt Olin are two runners who will also be
sorely missed this season. Elizondo finished second in the Pac-10
steeplechase last year, and Olin placed 35th in the 1997 Pac-10
meet.

But the Bruins haven’t been left helpless by the loss of a few
key runners. On the contrary, some new additions will wear the blue
and gold in place of the dearly departed.

A trio of Bellarmine Prep stars found their way onto the
cross-country roster. Omar Hart, Chris Knapp and Andrew Wulf are at
the forefront of a recruiting class that should make rebuilding a
cinch for the Bruin squad.

Joining the Bells as the future of UCLA distance running are
freshmen Martin Brix, out of Irvine University High School, and
Justin Pantananan from Highland High in Palmdale.

The women, on the other hand, look to continue their winning
ways in 1998 with six of their seven top competitors returning for
another run at the national title.

Sophomore Julie Ott returns to lead the squad, coming off a
stellar freshman year in which she was UCLA’s No. 2 runner. Placing
20th at Pac-10s and 24th at the Western Regionals, Ott followed up
a successful cross-country season with a even better one in track,
taking home fourth place in the 10,000-meter at Pac-10s and 12th at
NCAAs.

Last year’s No. 5 runner, Melinda George’s performance in 1997
led many to consider her the most improved distance runner in the
Pac-10. Her drive and dedication, manifested when she placed sixth
in the 5,000-meter and ninth in the 3,000-meter, earned her the
title of team captain for 1998.

Also a factor this season will be junior Christina Bowen, who
surprised many by finishing fourth at Pac-10s, racking up a
personal best in the 5,000-meter. Kelly and Tracy Cohn, Kara
Barnard, and Katie Nuanes round out the roster of returning runners
who should have breakthrough seasons this year.

The Bruins will need all the help they can get, as two key
runners have been lost – one to graduation and one to injury.
Academic and athletic standout Katherina Kechris, the Bruins’ No. 1
runner, graduated last fall with a 3.91 GPA in applied
mathematics.

Kim Mortenson, Track and Field News’ 1995 Female High School
Athlete of the Year, has had to give up cross country for health
reasons that are undisclosed.

Eight new faces seek to fill the gap left by Kechris and
Mortenson’s departures, most notably Elaine Canchola. Out of
Nordhoff High School in Ojai, Canchola is a four-time California
Interscholastic Federation champion, two-time individual State
winner and two-time national Foot Locker qualifier.

Both the men’s and women’s squads are facing rebuilding years,
and the task facing them is a formidable one – to attempt to rise
above the tough competition in the Pac-10.

No matter the outcome, the cross-country squad members will
definitely be putting their best foot forward this season.

Daily Bruin file photo

Kelly Cohn and the women’s cross country team hope to continue
their winning record this year, with six out of last year’s seven
top competitors returning.

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