This post was updated Nov. 20 at 12:32 a.m.

The NCAA national national championship competition seemingly had graduate student Michael Mireles’ name written all over it after his historic finish at the Big Ten championships.

But there is nothing quite like national-qualifying pressure.

UCLA cross country missed national qualification at the NCAA West Regional on Saturday morning in Colfax, Washington, officially marking the end of its season. The women’s team placed 12th overall, with senior Mia Kane notching the team’s best finish at 41st. The men’s team opted to forgo a five-man lineup, with Mireles and senior Patrick Curulla representing UCLA’s chance at individual qualification.

“It was a tough day and I think we all fought hard. Regional racing is always tough,” Kane said. “I’m really proud of the way that were able to string together a good finish, and I think that a lot of people really left it all out on the course.”

Mireles, who looked like UCLA’s best chance at qualifying after his second-place finish at the Big Ten championships earlier this month, posted a 29:30.6 time to place 21st overall in the men’s 10k race – a long shot away from the top-four finish he needed to automatically punch his ticket to the NCAA championships. The Thousand Oaks, California, local was passed by runners he beat at the conference championships, ultimately leading to his loss.

“As good as he is, he is still very inexperienced,” said assistant coach Andrew Ferris. “First time he’s had these kind of expectations on his shoulders, and that’s always tricky to navigate for anyone.”

The race, however, didn’t always cast that story. At the seven-kilometer split, Mireles sat in third place and with just 1.8 kilometers to go, he sat in sixth. However, his chances quickly slipped away from him.

Despite what could have been, Mireles’ finish is still the highest regional finish from UCLA since 2022 and is nine spots improved from his 30th place finish that same year.

“He’s certainly disappointed,” Ferris said. “He knew that he could be a little bit higher, and we’ll debrief a little bit more once the dust settles and see what we can learn from it.”

Curulla placed 80th overall, while Washington State freshman Evans Kurui swiftly took home the title, never dropping first place throughout the entire 10 kilometers.

Kane took charge on the women’s side, improving her 62nd placement in the women’s 6k race from 2023 by 21 spots.

Throughout the race, Kane jumped between the 35th and 41st positions – the latter being where she eventually landed at the finish line.

“Last year, I had a really tough day at regionals, so to come back and have a better day was satisfying,” Kane said. “I’m walking away from my last cross country race proud of my team and excited to get on the track.”

The Portland, Oregon, local has been a member of both the UCLA cross country and track teams since she first enrolled at UCLA as a freshman and delivered the team’s best finishes on the women’s side in the latter part of the season. But her motivation came from more than the prospect of a national championship.

“My parents were here, which was really special,” Kane said. “They saw me at my first race and now get to see me at my last. I’m just happy to make them proud – that’s always my biggest goal.”

Olivia Foody continued to set the pace for the Bruin freshmen, placing 48th overall with a 20:39.70 mark. Her finish was the eighth highest from a freshman and marked the best regional finish from a Bruin first year since at least 2017.

“She’s got a bright future ahead,” Ferris said. “We’re going to look to her to steer the ship a little bit for the next three years.”

Sophomore Ailish Hawkins and graduate student Rose Pittman rounded out UCLA’s top-100 finishes, placing 84th and 97th, respectively.

While Saturday’s race marked the last of the cross country season, and the last ever for UCLA’s graduating seniors, there is more to look forward to. A plethora of UCLA’s squad also competes for the track and field team, whose season begins Dec. 7.