Sept. 14, 2002
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Despite not racing its three top competitors, the Santa Clara men's cross country team finished tied for third at the USF Invitational today at Golden Gate Park's Lindley Meadows.
Junior Ricky Brackett (Bellevue, Wash.) paced the Broncos with a seventh-place effort, covering the four-mile course in a time of 21:29. Freshmen John Hinman (Bend, Ore.) and Chris Doerhoff (Granite Bay, Calif.) finished two-three for the Broncos with times of 21:52 (12th) and 21:58 (14th), respectively.
"I thought today was a great showing for our lads," said Bronco Head Coach John Maloney. "With our top three runners not racing today, our younger guys stepped-up and showed they could compete. We had a good team score with a limited squad and that will help us gain confidence as we continue to mature as a team.
"Ricky Brackett competed well today despite being slowed with a injury earlier in the week and four of our next five runners were freshmen. I'm really pleased with the way things turned out today and am confident our guys will be ready for next week's Aggie Invitational at UC Davis."
Santa Clara scored 64 points in the meet, which tied with San Jose State for third place overall. California took the event's title with a total of 46 points, while Sacramento State finished second with 50 points. Host USF, Saint Mary's, Cal State Hayward, Menlo College and San Francisco State rounded out the field.
Seniors Thomas Chapman and Michael Helms joined junior Benjamin Gauen on the sideline for the race. The trio did not compete as a training precaution and to provide the younger members of the squad to have an opportunity to gain competitive experience.
Hinman led a quintet of Santa Clara runners who all finished between 12th and 17th place in the race. In addition to Doerhoff's 14th-place showing, Dominic Ricci (Chico, Calif.), Colin Wood (Colfax, Calif.) and Pat Green (Sacramento, Calif.) all finished close behind.
The Bronco men and women's teams are in action next weekend at the Aggie Invitational, hosted by UC Davis.
