CHICO, Calif. – The Cal Poly Pomona women's cross country team is certainly ready for regionals.
Six conference teams ranked ahead of the Broncos in the polls entering Saturday's California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championships in Chico but CPP showcased its true speed today with a third-place performance. It represents a two-spot improvement from the 2012 conference meet.
The Broncos totaled 118 points Saturday to trail just Chico State (29) and Cal State Stanislaus (77). Junior
Lizette Huerta paced the CPP squad, taking 12th overall to earn All-CCAA cross country honors for the first time in her career. Her time of 22:48.4 marked a season best.
"We pulled it together today and ran how were supposed to run," Huerta said. "We're really excited for regionals, we know what we need to do and we're going to work together to come out strong."
Sophomore
Calene Morris continued to excel as the team's No. 2 runner behind Huerta. The Torrance native placed 19th as she crossed the line in 22:54.3. Senior
Regina Lopez ran well with Morris and ended up 21st at 22:55.9.
A model of consistency through her freshman season,
Elizabeth Olvera posted a personal-best 23:08.3 to finish 31st. She's competed in all five CPP meets this year and all five of her marks have ranged from 23:08 to 23:45.
Senior
Sarah Gulli has become familiar with postseason competition through her Bronco career and on Saturday, she placed 41st with a time of 23:33.3 that rounded out the CPP scoring.
Marissa Nickles finished 58th at 24:16.9 and
Thelma Cruz placed 82nd at 25:17.7. The Broncos will now shift their focus to the NCAA Division II West Region Championships, which will be held Nov. 9 in Spokane, Wash.
