THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.— After being freshman heavy in 2018, the Cal Lutheran Regals cross country team will lean more on its returners and upperclassmen as they look to compete for a SCIAC Championship in 2019.
"Cohesiveness is huge," said Cal Lutheran cross country head coach Matt Lea. "This is going to be one of our stronger teams, since I've been here, especially with our top-four. They train very well together. They are also so close when they train together, that when you get in a big race, you feel comfortable running next to each other."
Rachel Ereso is the captain and lone senior. She looks to go out on a high note for her final campaign. She helped lead the Regals to their highest finish at the NCAA West Regional since 2013 as they placed 15th a year ago. Ereso finished 56th as she clocked in at 23:55.6.
The junior class also has one runner and Olivia Becker is back and ready to make more noise. Becker was the top CLU runner at the SCIAC Championships last year and placed 53rd with a time of 26:25.4. At the West Regional, she was the third Regal to place in the top-100 and was 94th.
Looking to build on a strong freshman year, Veronica Redpath and Caroline Slate make up the sophomore class. Both got valuable experience in 2018 as they competed at the SCIAC Championships and the NCAA West Regional. Redpath was 59th at SCIAC while Slate was right behind her in 71st. At the NCAA West Regional, Redpath led the Regals and finished 55th while Slate placed 96th.
"Having only upperclassmen changes your mind set," said Lea. "With it all being upperclassmen, they can focus on themselves and the team, and not necessarily helping out the incoming class. They know what to do now and it helps ease their mind going into races.
"Watching them grow is exciting. We have some tough meets at the beginning of the year which will help set them up for the end of the season. The NCAA West Region Championship is down here this year and that will help with their confidence, being on courses that they know. They will be more comfortable and it will be fun to watch them."
The Regals start the season Saturday as they travel to Bea, Calif., for the Mark Covert Classic. The start time is 8:30 a.m.
2019 Roster: Regals Cross Country
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
