TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — UCSB’s Scott Smith and Crystal Reed competed at Monday’s NCAA Cross Country Championships, held at Indiana State University’s LaVern Gibson Course.
The athletes were greeted by a warm day and a firm course, which contributed to the fast times clocked in the races.
Smith finished 50th in the men’s 10k race, narrowly missing the All-American honors awarded to the top 40 runners. He began the race briskly and was in contention for an All-American placement for the first 6 kilometers.
However, Smith began to fade around the 7k mark and had to fight his way up from about 60th place. He passed more than 10 runners in the final 800 meters to capture 50th with a time of 30:29.1.
Reed finished 168th in the women’s 6k race, moving forward near the finish after a humdrum middle portion of the race. Reed was in the top 100 for the first kilometer but began to fade quickly. She eventually was able to reestablish a rhythm and hold her position.
“Sometimes it’s tough to stay motivated when your team isn’t out there with you,” remarked Gaucho assistant coach Avery Blackwell.
“Crystal didn’t look comfortable at first, but she eventually got it under control. The experience should help her for next season. Scott also showed some mental toughness by running a good final kilometer, even after he knew All-American was out of reach.”
Samuel Chelanga of Liberty won the men’s race in a course-record time of 28:41.3. Oklahoma State took the team title with 127 points, followed by Oregon with 143 and Alabama with 173.
Angela Bizzarri of Illinois won the women’s race with a time of 19:46.8. Villanova took the team title with 86 points, follwed by Florida State with 133 and Washington with 188.
