Records for men and women's cross country
By Young runners and individual performances shine
By Gabe Taylor
The Santa Clara
Senior Stephanie Wilson and junior Robbie Reid made Santa Clara history at last weekend's Stanford Invitational by breaking the previous all-time university records in the 6km and the 8km, respectively.
Wilson ran the women's 6km with a time of 20:57, finishing 10th overall in the field of 179. Reid placed 10th in the field of 169 men with an 8km time of 24:30.
These two performances helped lead the women's team to a 13th place finish in the field of 22, and the men's team to an 11th place finish in the field of 18.
"Those are amazing records when you think about it," said head coach Tom Service, emphasizing the records' prestige.
In the broader scope, Service believes that Wilson and Reid's drive has impacted the team around them and that there is further room for individual improvement.
"They both have much higher aspirations at the championship meets," said Service. "I think their best races are still to come."
Reflecting their influence, Wilson and Reid's unsurpassed work ethic has attributed to making them role models for the young Bronco team, Service added.
Since many of the athletes on the cross country team are also members of the track team, they are is able to learn from their leaders and grow closer year round.
"Sometimes maybe we're a little too close," said Wilson jokingly.
Although Wilson and Reid are thrilled to be holding records of their own, both have not lost sight on the upcoming meets.
"It's definitely an honor, but at the same time you always want to improve and you don't really want to settle for anything," said Reid.
In preparation for the races, the team tries to bond the night before by taking part in a team dinner, but individual preparation is also a key to success, according to Wilson.
"Individually, I try to go over the race in my head and make a decision that I'm not going to give up," she said.
Wilson has firmly stuck to this mentality so far this season. She showed early signs of success after coming away with her first, first-place victory at the Hornet Jamboree with a 5km time of 17:23.
"It was exciting and strange, because it was the first race that I've ever won," she said.
In addition to the stellar performances of Wilson and Reid, Service looks forward to working with the freshmen and sophomore runners.
For the women's side, sophomore Erin McCarthy, who was injured during most of her freshman year, has filled the number two runner spot. Freshmen Mary Reynolds and Carey Parker were also accredited for helping lead the team, finishing the Stanford Invitational with times of 22:58 and 23:02, respectively.
On the men's side, freshmen Marcos Hinojosa and Guadalupe Gonzalez have provided strong performances, finishing the Stanford Invitational with times of 26:00 and, respectively.
Despite all the young talent, Service would like to see more leadership arise from the older crowd.
"What's needed is some of the veterans (besides Reid and Wilson) that are not in the freshman class; we're looking for them to step up as we get down to championship time," he said.
The Broncos are preparing for the Doc Adams Invitational, which will be held this Saturday, Oct. 3 in Davis, California. Service mentioned, that the entire team will not be attending the race, as some of the athletes who did not run at the Stanford Invitational will get a chance to shine this weekend.
Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.