Cross Country Prepares to Run in Sacramento
9/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
MALIBU, Calif. " Pepperdine's cross country teams will compete for the third time in 2015 when the Waves run at the Capital Cross Challenge in Sacramento on Saturday morning.
The meet is being hosted by Sacramento State and will be held at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex. The women's 5K is at 9:15 a.m. and the men's 8K follows at 9:45 a.m.
It's also the site of the 2016 NCAA West Regional so the race will give the Waves some valuable experience for the future.
"We're really excited for this challenge in Sacramento," Pepperdine Coach Robert Radnoti said. "It's on a golf course and it's a beautiful, flat, fast course. One of the reasons we're going is because it's the site of next year's regional. We're looking forward to running against some top competition, including some of the WCC schools."
Pepperdine's men are undefeated in head-to-head action through the first two meets. Pepperdine beat Cal State Northridge in Alumni Park on Sept. 1, and then bested WCC foe San Diego at the Aztec Invitational on Sept. 18. Freshman Nick Heath (Scotts Valley, Calif./Scotts Valley HS) was the Waves' top finisher at both meets, as he won the CSUN dual and was third at the Aztec Invitational.
As usual, senior Katie Engel (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima HS) has been the top women's runner. She's been the top-finishing Wave 11 times in the team's last 15 races. Engel came in second place overall in the CSUN/CSU Bakersfield tri-meet in Alumni Park and was third at the Aztec Invitational.
"The men's team is getting stronger and stronger, day by day," Radnoti said. "They haven't taken their foot off the pedal at all. The guys have really come together and are pushing their times down. For the women, Katie has been running outstanding. We haven't had anyone like her since Chelsea Wishard and Lauren Lodge and hopefully her hard work will pay off."
After this, Pepperdine's last race before the WCC Championships will be the UC Riverside Highlander Invitational on Oct. 17.
