Pepperdine University
NCAA West Regional
Pepperdine Preps for NCAA West Regionals
11/8/2023 1:56:00 PM | Cross Country
MALIBU, Calif. — Spots in the NCAA XC Championships are on the line this Friday, as the Pepperdine cross country teams travel to Sacramento, Calif. for the NCAA West Regionals.
Friday's action begins with the women's 6-kilometer race at 10 a.m. with the men's 10-kilometer race to follow at 11 a.m. A link to live results can be found on the cross country team's schedule page at pepperdinewaves.com.
Both Pepperdine teams are not only trying to knock off a few more West Coast Conference schools than they did at the conference race, but are also chasing the program's first appearance at the NCAA XC Championships this weekend. No Wave team has qualified for the NCAA's biggest stage, however, several individuals have gotten close: Chelsea Wishard ran the school's fastest 6-kilometer time of 20:39.05 to take 22nd at the 2010 NCAA West Regional, while Nick Heath placed 35th at the 2016 NCAA West Regional while running a program-record 30:22.7 10-kilometer time.
Regardless of the results, fast times are to be expected this Friday while running in arguably one of the nation's toughest regionals. The men's race has four nationally ranked teams in the latest U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association polls, while the women's race has six nationally ranked teams.
For the women, Lizzy Crawford, Elle Shrader, Hannah Bruner, Megan LaCamera, Caroline Graham, Abby Winter and Kayla Renner will toe the line for the Waves as they look to improve upon their 33rd-place team finish at last year's West Regional race. LaCamera (Burbank, Calif./Burbank HS) was the Waves' No. 2 runner at West Regionals last year, when she ran the 11th-fastest 6-kilometer time in Pepperdine history.
On the men's side, upperclassmen Johnathan Flint and Will Bullock will lead a group consisting of Dominic Silhol, Patrick Thomas, Joshua Bergers, Gordy Nilsen and Elias Spence. Five of the seven Pepperdine men competed at the West Regionals in University Place, Wash. last year, and all five ran top-20 10-kilometer times in program history.
Bullock (Marietta, Ga./Kennesaw Mountain HS) was the Waves' top finisher at last year's West Regional with a 31:15.3 10K time — good for the fifth-fastest time in program history. Flint is the lone Wave with experience at the Haggin Oaks Golf Course; he was Pepperdine's No. 3 runner at the 2021 West Regional, in which the Waves placed 24th.
ÂABOUT LAST RACE
Hosting the West Coast Conference Championships at Alumni Park for the first time in a decade, the Pepperdine men's team placed sixth and the women's team placed seventh for its best showing since 2013 on Oct. 28.
Once again, the freshman Crawford (Thornton, Colo./Horizon HS) led the Waves with a 22nd-place finish — adding another feather to her cap in what has been a stellar collegiate cross country debut. The senior Shrader (Boerne, Texas/Boerne-Samuel V. Champion HS) made immense strides as Pepperdine's No. 2, while Bruner (Redmond, Wash./Lake Washington HS), LaCamera and Miller (Temecula, Calif./Great Oak HS) rounded out Pepperdine's scoring runners.
Flint (Flower Mound, Texas/Flower Mound HS) led a tight pack of Waves with a 25th-place finish. As a team, Pepperdine's pack time of 44.6 seconds was the best in the field, yet a surprising resurgence from Loyola Marymount and Santa Clara's low sticks prevented the Waves from breaking into the top half of the conference. Unlike past years, when former WCC member BYU trekked over to the ultra-competitive Mountain Regional race, the Waves get a chance at outperforming their WCC opponents in the West Regional this week.
ÂFROM THE ENTRY LIST
For the men, the No. 4 California Baptist Lancers are the team to beat in the West Region. Last year, the Lancers were one of the last teams left out of the NCAA Cross Country Championship field, yet they have risen the national rankings this season.
They'll be followed by Stanford — who, despite losing 2022 NCAA cross country champion Charles Hicks to the pro ranks, are still No. 10 in the nation — No. 22 Washington, No. 26 Oregon and Boise State, who dipped out of the national rankings last week.
Meanwhile, the women's race will have even tougher competition. Six teams in the region are nationally ranked, while three (Cal Poly, Washington and Portland) won their conference championships.
The Pac-12 is the cream of the crop in the West in its final year of existence with No. 7 Stanford, No. 8 Washington, No. 12 Oregon and No. 17 Oregon State highlighting the women's field. California Baptist checked in at No. 21 in the latest national polls despite its runner-up finish at the WAC Championships, plus No. 30 Portland rounded out the polls after upsetting Gonzaga for the WCC title in Malibu last weekend.
ÂTHE RUNDOWN
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Pepperdine has run the NCAA West Regionals at Haggin Oaks Golf Course four times, with the latest time coming in 2021.
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Best team finish (women): 20th (2010)
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Best individual finish (women): Chelsea Wishard, 22nd (2010)
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Best team finish (men): 13th (2019)
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Best individual finish (men): Nick Heath, 35th (2016)
UP NEXT: Should any Waves qualify for nationals, the NCAA XC Cross Country Championships take place at Panorama Farms in Charlottesville, Va. on Saturday, Nov. 18.
Players Mentioned
