X-country heads to Championships

The men’s cross country team will compete today for the fifth time in the NCAA Cross Country Championships at the LaVern Gibson Championship Course at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Ind.

Head coach Mark Conover said this is the ninth straight year Cal Poly has been represented by a team or individual at the race.

“I think we’re all looking forward to it,” Conover said. “We’ve been running well when it matters and the guys are looking fit. I think it’s there for the national championship.”

Cal Poly was one of 31 teams selected. The top two seven-person teams automatically qualified from each of the nine regions, totaling 18 teams. The remaining teams were selected at large, with the Mustangs being one of the five West Region at-large teams.

Senior and All-American Phillip Reid agreed that the team is in place to finish strong.

“We’re ready to race,” Reid said. “This is a great group of guys and we’re all trying to do the best we can on Monday to represent Cal Poly.”

Last weekend Cal Poly finished fifth at the NCAA West Regional. Reid ran a 30:26 10k and placed 13th.

The team finished 13th in nationals last year. Reid, who placed 21st, said that any improvements the team makes compared to last year would mark a success.

“Personally, I’d just like to do better than I did last year,” Reid said. “We could run well and get to 20th or we could run well and get into the top 10. If we can improve on last year’s 13th place or get the same, that would be good.”

In 2004 Cal Poly finished 10th and in 2003 the Mustangs crossed the finish line in 13th place.

The team competed in 1999 but did not place.

Conover associated the success of the cross country teams with dedicated athletes.

“That can be attributed to a number of factors, including a lot of hard work by a lot of people,” Conover said. “People have been coachable and we’ve had many talented student athletes.”

The men’s race will be broadcast live on CSTV at 9 a.m. PST, followed by the women’s race at 9:55 a.m.

Viewers can also watch the race online at www.cstv.com for $4.99.