Oct. 4, 2008
The Santa Clara Bronco women's cross country team, with two women finishing in the top 10, won the team title at the Charles Bowles Invitational at Willamette University in Salem, Ore. on Sat., Oct. 4. The men's `B' team, made up primarily of freshmen, finished sixth at the Doc Adams Open at Putah Creek Course Country Course, hosted by UC Davis, Saturday morning.
The women ran a 5K and scored 52 points to win their first title of the season and finish ahead of the likes of Idaho, Boise State and Portland. The men ran an 8K and scored 142 points with Stanford winning the title. Both teams take off next weekend to prepare for their lone home meet of the year at Baylands Park in Sunnyvale, Calif. on Sat., Oct. 18. The men will run an 8K there and the women will run a 5K.
The Bronco women's top five finishers included:
3 Stephanie Wilson 18:03.67
6 Veronica Vazquez 18:13.08
19 Noelle Lopez 18:36.30
20 Nicole Giove 18:36.34
27 Whitney Porter 18:46.05
Bronco head coach Tom Service was pleased with the ladies efforts and applauded their competitive efforts.
"The women ran very well and we had a very competitive top four today. It was an incredible team effort as the 4-5-6 runners really helped us win the title," said Service. "I was pleased with our upperclassmen's efforts. We worked hard the entire race to make sure we finished in good position. Both Stephanie Wilson and Veronica Vazquez finished in the top 10 and I am pleased with their efforts today as we build on this finish."
Bronco assistant coach Felipe Montoro was pleased with the freshmen effort as Travis Pederson led the way with a big PR of 26:51 and Matt Wagner also ran well, finishing with a personal best 27:08.
"The young group recorded personal bests almost all the way across the board and gained valuable experience at the 8K distance," said Montoro. "I am very pleased with their progress and can see Pederson scoring for the team as early as next year."
The Bronco men's top five finishers included:
27. Travis Pederson 26:51
31. Matt Wagner 27:08
33. Matt Savage 27:26
34. Garrett Smith 27:37
35. Kevin Senefield 27:39
