SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Fresh off its training camp in the Marin Headlands, Santa Clara cross country is ready to return to the course for its second competition of the 2015 season. The Broncos will race at the San Francisco State Quad Meet Thursday, Sept. 17 at Hellman Hollow Meadow in San Francisco.
Santa Clara will compete against West Coast Conference foe Saint Mary's as part of the quad meet that includes SFSU and Academy of Art. Following a 7250m open race at 9:45 a.m., the Bronco women race in the 5800m event at 10:30 a.m. and the men race in the 7250m event at 11:15 a.m.
"The head-to-head component of the race is valuable for us at this point in the season," assistant coach Pete Cushman said. "Saint Mary's is a formidable opponent every year, and this will give us some feedback as to where we stand as the season gets started."
SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels are currently No. 15 in USTFCCCA Men's West Region Rankings. Santa Clara's women bested Saint Mary's at last year's WCC Championships, and the Gaels topped the Broncos at the NCAA West Region Championships.
"Based on rankings our men's team will be the underdog, but we feel good about where our men are at right now, and I think the guys look forward to that challenge," Cushman said. "Our women's team has a more reinvented top five than they do, so we'll see how we stack up against their veteran squad."
THE COURSE
Hellman Hollow Meadow will be set up as a spectator-friendly circuit course Thursday. The men are slated to run five loops and the women will run four loops; each loop is slightly shorter than a mile.
"Golden Gate Park is a great cross country course," Cushman said. "It's especially useful racing there this year, as it's mostly grass, which is what our championship season courses will all be."
TRAINING CAMP
The Broncos went up to the Marin Headlands Sept. 10-13 for their annual training camp over the weekend. The team had an opportunity to run through the headlands, over the Golden Gate Bridge and along Crissy Field in San Francisco in addition to spending time at Rodeo Beach.
"Training camp was a big success this year, Cushman said. "It's a good time to unplug and just think about your teammates and running."
GO BRONCOS!
