Sept. 21, 2006

SANTA CLARA, Calif. --The Santa Clara men's and women's cross country teams will take a trip up the road to take part in the Holy Names Invitational in Oakland, Calif., at Chabot Regional Park's Bordt Meadow. The women's 5k race will begin at 11:00 a.m. and the men's 8k race will follow at 11:45 a.m. This will be Santa Clara's first visit to the Holy Names Invitational.

This race comes less than a week after the Broncos sent their top ten from each team up to Seattle, Wash. for the Sundodger Invitational, and was a late addition to their schedule of competitions.

"This race is going to be a great opportunity for those that didn't make the trip to Seattle", said head coach Tom Service. "They'll be able to compete near the front of the pack with some of the D-2 and D-3 schools in the Bay Area."

Service was very confident in the group of runners participating in the race, both for the men and the women. On the women's side, all five are very evenly matched and should finish very close to each other. On the men's side, the Bronco's will be featuring a group veteran track stars, including Omar Ahmad and Nick Arcelona.

The course at Chabot Park is listed as beginning with a gradual downhill section followed by a several rolling hills, which according to Service, plays right to the strength of Santa Clara.

"I think they have a really good base", Service said of his athletes. "We might do a little bit more hill training than some other schools, so I think it will work to our advantage."