Bruins set goals for upcoming race

Published: Friday, November 1, 1996

Friday, November 1, 1996

CROSS COUNTRY:

Sport's unpredictability may be advantageous to UCLABy Vytas Mazeika

Daily Bruin Contributor

Both the men's and women's cross country teams will need to have great team and individual efforts this Saturday at Palo Alto.

Realistically, the UCLA runners look to place third at this weekend's Pac-10 championships.

"We're definitely a dark-horse candidate," men's cross country team co-captain Chris Lynch said.

This statement holds true for both teams.

The men's team, currently ranked 27th in the nation and just two votes shy of the top 25, is the clear underdog to second-ranked Stanford and fourth-ranked Oregon.

With Chris Lynch and last year's number two runner, Devin Elizondo, both coming back from health problems, the men's cross country team looks strong.

"Now that everybody's back together we're gelling, we're molding," current number two runner Mark Hauser said.

The unpredictability factor in cross country may allow the Bruins to challenge one of the top two schools. In 1994, the favored Cardinal choked and placed 5th at the Pac-10 championships, while last year the favored Cardinal were up-ended by the Oregon Ducks.

This year the Cardinal are favored again.

"They are certainly due," men's cross country coach Bob Larsen said. "They may win, maybe decisively."

The women's team has to look up to four ranked teams: No. 3 Stanford, No. 11 Arizona, No. 16 Washington and No. 20 Oregon. But the runners are not discouraged, partly due to last weekend's strong showing at the Pomona Invite.

"Spirits are high, especially after Pomona," women's cross country coach Eric Peterson said. "We will have a shot at finishing third."

For a young team, placing third may be a high goal to set. But in cross country anything can happen.

"The team goes into the meet with nothing to lose," Peterson said. "We're not supposed to beat those teams."

* * *

The individual Pac-10 title will involve two UCLA runners Mebrahtom Keflezighi from the men's team and Kim Mortensen of the women's team.

Keflezighi, nicknamed Meb, is the most likely runner to challenge defending Pac-10 champion Karl Keska of Oregon.

Keska is undefeated this year and is the clear favorite to win this weekend.

"(Meb) knows that he's going to have his hands full with Keska," Larsen said.

Larsen also explained that Keflezighi's strength and conditioning will be a positive factor in the race. In this five-mile race, there will be a pack of runners until about the three-mile mark when the pack will dwindle to four or five runners.

"Then the real racing will start," Larsen said.

This pack will probably include last year's second-place finisher and course record holder Bob Keino from Arizona, Washington State's Rasto Kiplangat and Stanford's Greg Jimmerson.

The women's race is easier to break down. The top women's cross country runner in the nation and favorite to win the national title, Amy Skieresz of Arizona, will also be favored in the Pac-10.

Kim Mortensen, UCLA's freshman sensation will pose a challenge to Skieresz.

The two high-school rivals have faced each other many times and have run at the Stanford golf course several times before, creating a large comfort zone for Mortensen.

"Kim is the most likely to challenge Amy longer," women's coach Eric Peterson said. "Kim gets stronger the longer the race goes. If she can hang in there and be on the pace at the two-mile mark all of a sudden her chances increase quite a bit."

UCLA Sports Info

Devin Elizondo