SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Pepperdine Cross Country travels north to Sacramento Calif. for the NCAA West Regionals, hosted by Sacramento State on Friday, Nov. 14.
The events are set for the Arcade Creek Cross Country Course, a sprawling greenery situated five miles north of downtown.
Due to the expected weather, parking will be located at American River College Football Stadium. Attendees will be charged $20 per vehicle which covers the shuttle to the main event. Shuttles start at 6:30 a.m. and run until 30 minutes after the awards ceremony.
The women start the event at 9 a.m. with a 6K. The men will go an hour later with a 10K set for 10 a.m.
"With the rain forecasted for this week, Friday's races are going to be a battle of wills but our teams are up for the challenge," said head coach Lauren Floris. "Our women are bringing a positive attitude into their 6k and I expect a strong team finish from them. The men are the most prepared they've ever been for the step up to the 10K distance so I can't wait to see how their races play out!"
Representing the men will be Micah Brighton, Elijah Gentry, Kaleb McElfish, Gordy and Rowan Nilsen, Dominic Silhol, Beckett Sullivan, and Patrick Thomas.
The women will send Riley Burgess, Lizzy Crawford, Kennedy Duralde, Ashley Eagan, Jessica Guardino, Hannah Miller, Grace Simpson, and Renee Skiera.
Ashley Eagan and Patrick Thomas are the lone seniors venturing to the state's capital, for what could be their final cross country race as a Wave.
The competition is open to all eligible Division I athletes from within the west region—a field of 40 schools. The men's team will face four top-30 teams. The women will take on five ranked teams. Oregon enters as the favorite in both events.
Results will be available online here.
Pepperdine last ran in the West Coast Conference Championships in Spokane, Wash. The men placed 7th in their 8K while the women took 12th in the 6K.
Lizzy Crawford was the top finisher for the women, earning 33rd with a time of 21:41.8. Gordy Nilsen ran to 34th, to lead the team at 24:48.1.
The Waves hope to earn a bid at qualifiers to continue their season at the championships in Columbia, Mo on Nov. 22. The women's 6K will begin at 7:20 a.m. and the men's 10K at 8:10 a.m.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK
The Pepperdine cross country/track program has a rich history dating back to the 1950s with six total individual national championships to come through the program. As one of the original three programs sponsored by then George Pepperdine College in 1937, the Waves immediately began to make a mark on the track world stage with eight total Olympians and multiple regional champions throughout the program's history.
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