Cal Poly Cross Country has swept the Big West Championships for the third straight year with its performance at the UC Riverside Ag/Ops Course on Saturday, Nov. 2nd.
The Mustangs etched themselves into the conference history books as only one other school in Big West history had ever swept the championships three years in a row when UC Irvine did it twice in the mid and late 1980s.
It was all Cal Poly on Saturday, as the men placed eight runners inside the top 20 and the women placed nine inside the top 25.
Along with securing both the men’s and women’s team titles, the Mustangs secured both individual titles behind two stellar races. Graduate student Davis Bove and senior Schuyler Gooley both crossed the finish line first in their respective race, winning the conference title.
Bove is now a two-time Big West individual champion, as he won the title last year as well.
This marks the seventh time the Mustangs have swept the Big West Championships, but the team wants more than just the conference.
“I think we have a chance to make nationals,” Bove said before the race. “It’s not going to be easy, and everyone will have to be on their ‘A’ game. But for this program, it would be really big. I think that’s the goal in the back of all of our minds this year.”
Men dominate the podium
The Mustangs controlled the championship race the entire way, as eight of their ten runners finished inside the top 20.
Behind Bove, sophomore Chris Caudillo and senior Colton Swinth took second and third place, securing the Mustangs the top three podium spots.
The team finished with 22 points, while second-place Cal St. Fullerton had 73.
Bove, Caudillo, and Swinth all had stellar races, finishing within five seconds of each other, and all three raced for a time of less than 24 minutes. Only six runners finished in less than 24 minutes, and four were Mustangs.
The other was redshirt freshman Rory Catsimanes, finishing in sixth place with a time of 23:59.8.
It was an impressive race for Catsimanes, the transfer from UC San Diego, who finished third on the team at the NCAA Pre-Nationals in Wisconsin.
Following the top four for the Mustangs were redshirt junior Michael Chambers (10th), senior Anthony Guerra (12th), redshirt freshman Jude DeVries (16th) and redshirt junior Bryce Kueker (19th).
DeVries had a standout performance, holding first place for a brief point at the 5.5K mark of the race. His final time was 24:14.4, an excellent race for someone who competed with the secondary group on the team the whole season.
After Kueker, redshirt sophomore Lewis Westwood was the ninth and final Mustang to cross the finish line in 28th place. Senior Aidan McCarthy did not finish the race.
Women control the lead, Gooley holds on for first
Last year, the women were in a very competitive race with UC Davis until the end, overcoming a 12-point deficit to secure the team title.
This year was different. The Mustangs held first place from the get-go and never let go.
Of the Mustangs ten runners, nine finished inside the top 25. Four were inside the top 10.
Heading into the final 2K, the top four was extremely close. A UC Davis runner led the way, followed by Gooley, junior Tatiana Cornejo and a UC Irvine runner. They were all within two seconds of each other.
But Gooley was able to outlast the Irvine runner, surging down the stretch to finish two seconds ahead of her with a final time of 19:47.7.
Following her was Cornejo, finishing in fifth with a time of 19:57.4. Senior Hana Catsimanes finished in seventh and redshirt sophomore Sophia Nordenholz secured eigth place.
The rest of the Mustangs inside the top 25 included sophomore Kelli Gaffney (12th), sophomore Sydney Sundgren (14th), junior Riley Cash (16th), redshirt junior Isabel Sanchez (24th) and senior Ellie Baxter (25th).
The final Mustang to cross the line was freshman Renae Searls, coming in 43rd out of 102 runners.
“We are committed to our goal and we’re committed to everything that’s going to get us there,” Bove said. “I believe in this team more than any other team I’ve been on. That’s a scary thing to go up against.”
Now, the Mustangs will travel north to prepare for the NCAA West Regionals hosted by Washington State. The race will kick off on Friday, Nov. 15, from Colfax, Wash.