Nov. 11, 2006

FAIRVIEW, Ore. - The Santa Clara men's and women's cross country teams concluded their 2006-07 seasons Saturday at the NCAA Western Regionals at Blue Lake Park in Fairview, Ore. The women's team finished in 20th place out of a field of 30 teams, and the men's team finished in 20th place out of a field of 25 teams.

The men's team put together another very strong performance, led by junior Chris Gumbs who finished 80th with a 10k time of 32:35.39, nearly a minute faster than his time on 2005. Junior Michael Delaurenti was the next Bronco across the line, finishing 97th with a 10k time of 33:03.93. The Broncos saw very strong performances from freshmen Stephen Koch and Alex Harkins, finishing 113th and 127th respectively, as the 3rd and 4th Broncos across the line.

The women's team was led by Shannon Bell, who bounced back from her performance at the WCC Championship. Bell finished 85th with a 6k time of 23:27.99. Freshman Annie Murphy-Hagain was less than a second behind her, finishing in 87th place and a 6k time of 23:28.07, and senior Lauren Swigart finished in 107th place with a 6k time of 23:39.72. Unfortunately, illness was a factor yet again as sophomore Whitney Porter was forced to withdraw from the race. 

The raced marked the end of two Santa Clara cross country careers. Seniors Shannon Bell and Lauren Swigart both went through the ups and downs during their four years and put it all together this season, leading their team in the two biggest races of the year. Swigart led the Broncos with a 12th place finish at the WCC Championships, and Bell's 85th place performance Saturday at the NCAA West Regionals led the Broncos.

Head coach Tom Service summed it up the best.

"Their careers here at Santa Clara and the contributions they have made to their team really speak for themselves."