UCLA men’s cross country shines in Nevada

Much like the poker tables shuffle cards at the casinos in nearby Reno, the cross country teams started their 2016 season on Friday under the lights in Sparks, Nevada, with new hands.

The men’s team came into the start of this season after losing many key seniors, such as Lane Werley, who finished first for the UCLA team at last year’s NCAA championship in Louisville. Sergey Sushchikh, the ninth overall finisher at the NCAA Western Regional Championships and NCAA 800-meter All-American Nick Hartle have also graduated.

Only time will tell whether this season is a rebuilding one for the team or one that capitalizes on previous years’ successes.

But despite the loss of their seniors, the UCLA squad won the 5K race this weekend, beating teams from Fresno State, UC Riverside and others. Seven of the top nine finishers were from the UCLA team. Junior Daniel de la Torre from Alhambra, California, was first overall with a total time of 15:55 and a mile pace of 5:08.

Redshirt freshman Millen Trujillo was just behind de la Torre in third, with a total time of 16:08. Sophomore Cole Smith, sophomore Jackson Marshall and junior Richard Ho followed in fourth, fifth, and sixth respectively.

The women’s team put up great individual efforts in the 4K. Redshirt freshman Jackie Garner and junior Emily Fieberling propelled the team up the leaderboard with times of 15:37. Garner finished just a step ahead of Fieberling, good enough for 13th place.

Sophomore Carolina Johnson, the only person from the women’s team that went to the NCAA championships last year, did not compete in the meet.

Both teams will head back to Mammoth Mountain to continue to train and practice for the rest of the season. Their next meet Sep. 24 will take them up north to the Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, Minnesota.