Reid and Wilson shine at Bronco Invitational

By Gabe Taylor

Junior Robbie Reid and senior Stephanie Wilson took first in their respective races for the Santa Clara cross country teams in Sunnyvale last Saturday. Santa Clara was able to pick up fourth and seventh place finishes, respectively.

Reid and Wilson's finishes marked the highest finish among Santa Clara individual runners at the Bronco Invitational ever.

Racing at home played differently to the runners and the coaches. From Head Coach Tom Service's perspective, the Bronco Invite was exciting but challenging as well.

"It's kind've like you're in dual roles. We probably don't do our best coaching at the Bronco Invitational because there are so many other responsibilities," said Service, explaining how he was frantically running between meeting runners at their splits and making sure the finish line would not be too chaotic.

However, from a runner's perspective, the race was much more comfortable, Reid said.

Prior to the Invite, the team worked out at Baylands Park enough to know what splits they had to hit.

This worked in Wilson's favor, as she cut down her time by over a minute with a time of 16:53.

"I've had a lot more training under my belt," said Wilson, who hadn't run the 5k since the Sacramento State Invitational.

Despite the strong race, Wilson was unable to hold her lead against former runner for Belmont University's cross-country team, Lauren Weaver. Weaver ended up finishing eight seconds ahead of Wilson.

"It's just nice to know that I was able to compete in a pretty good race with having somebody on my tail the whole time," said Wilson.

Freshman Mary Reynolds added to the team's seventh place finish by knocking her time down to less than 18 minutes.

"I know she's going to be up there with me really soon and probably passing me by before I know it," commented Wilson.

With Wilson coming back for another year and the freshmen contributing consistently, Service is excited for future home races.

"These girls stay together and stay committed, and in coming years they will be placing a lot higher than seventh," he said.

Reid led the men's side once again with his first place finish in the 8k, finishing in a time of 24:32.

"I wanted to stay controlled through three miles and then hammer the last two and put myself in a good position to win," said Reid.

Despite the top finish, Reid was slightly behind his personal markers for his split times.

The two weeks between now and WCC Championships signal the final stretch of intensive preparation for Santa Clara. The WCC championships are held at a course named Crystal, where the Broncos will have to fight against the University of Portland Pilots, who are known for their speed.

Reid hopes that the hilly course plays to the team's advantage.

"We actually want it to be as sloppy as possible, because it will slow down teams like Portland and the guys where they are speedsters," he said. "We want it to pour."

As for Service, he is confident that the team will come out to compete.

"I can guarantee an excellent competitive team that's well focused," he said.

The Bronco Invite, has had many different forms. The invite used to host three to four teams but now hosts fifteen, Service said.

Since the invite has grown so much, Associate Athletic Director Fred Smith is even considering searching for possible sponsors for the coming years.

Santa Clara will race at the Shoreline Open this weekend before traveling to Belmont for the WCC Championships, which will be held on Oct. 31.

Contact Gabe Taylor at gtaylor@scu.edu or (408) 551-1918.