The Cal Poly men’s cross country team finished with 36 points en route to its 11th Big West Conference title in the past 14 seasons on Saturday. The women’s side, led by senior Leanne Fogg and freshman Meghan Breadmore, finished fourth with 88 points.
The men were paced by senior Daniel Gonia, who covered the 8k course in 23:14 and placed second overall behind individual winner Chad Hall of UC Riverside. Junior transfer David Cardona finished second for the Mustangs and fourth overall in 23:58.
Men’s cross country has won the conference title every year since 2003 until last year’s fifth-place finish. The Mustangs found their winning form on Saturday, though, head coach Mark Conover said.
“It shows how badly the guys on the team wanted to get back to the tradition (of titles) that has been going on the last decade,” Conover said. “They didn’t run particularly well last year. The fact that they committed themselves to turning it back around speaks volumes (about) what this sport is all about and what we’re trying to do.”
The Mustangs stacked all seven scoring runners in the top 14 spots. Senior Ryan Cosens placed ninth in 24:26, senior Brandon Shirck in 10th in 24:16, junior Michael Johnson finished 11th with a time of 24:18. Sophomore Sean Davidson finished 13th overall in 24:19 while the final scoring runner, Blake Ahrold, placed 14th with a time of 24:24.
The Mustangs ran away with the title thanks in part to solid individual performances and pack running from all nine runners in the field, Gonia said.
“It felt good to have my whole team finishing in a pack like that,” Gonia said. “It was a very gratifying feeling for all the work we’ve put in this season to go out and perform like we know we can.”
The women racked up 88 total points, finishing behind winner UC Davis, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara.
Fogg covered the 6k course in 20:41, good enough for third overall behind overall winner Rosa Del Toro of Long Beach State in 20:27. Hot on her heels was the true freshman Breadmore who finished in 20:42.
“I went into it with high expectations as did everyone else,” Fogg said. “We knew we were capable of winning the conference championships, but unfortunately, things didn’t play out. The results don’t do justice to how hard we’ve worked this year. We left the race unsatisfied.”
Conover said the team result was also disappointing, but he finds solace in the idea that the youth of the team will grow from their first experience at a championship meet.
“It wasn’t quite where we wanted to be, but with a young team, it bodes well for the future,” he said. “For the freshman on the team, it’s something to build upon, and for Leanne (Fogg) going out as a senior to get third in the conference is an outstanding performance and Meghan Breadmore in fourth overall as a true freshman; that’s a fantastic result for her.”
The Mustangs travel to Stanford University Nov. 12 for the NCAA Cross Country West Regionals in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA National Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.