USC Cross Country Opens Season Saturday In Irvine
September 08, 2011 | Women's Cross Country
Sept. 8, 2011
The USC women's cross country team will open the season at the UC Irvine Invitational in Irvine, Calif. at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10. The 5K race will be the first official collegiate cross country meet for eight of the 10 Trojans scheduled to compete.
The Trojans expected to run at the UC Irvine Ivitational will be redshirt junior Shelby Buckley, redshirt sophomore Theresa Kurth, sophomores Anna Burger and Jaclyn Walles, redshirt freshman Katie DeYoung and true freshmen Shannon Byrne, Austin Lundin, Erin Matranga, Erin Robinson and Kira Soderstrom.
"I'd be very pleased with a top five finish this weekend as we are not sending all of our top runners to this meet," said USC cross country head coach Tom Walsh. "We are very young and I'm looking for them to race as well as they have been training. This race is just a starting point for us and we are looking to build off this race and continue to get better thoughout the season. This is one of the most talented groups of freshmen I've had and I'm looking forward to see how they develop."
There will be 14 teams competing, with Cal Poly and Long Beach State the race favorites. Last season USC placed sixth at the meet with Christine Cortez the Trojans' top finisher at 19th.
Buckley figures to be USC's top runner and the Trojans are excited to have her ready to compete after dealing with injuries the last two track seasons and having to sit out the 2010 cross country season following her transfer from UCLA in the Spring of 2010.
"Shelby had a solid summer of training," said Walsh. "She's healthy now and has diligently been preparing for the season. I've been really impressed with how she's taken over the leadership of this team."
"The Fab 5 freshmen continue to impress," added Walsh. "They are all coming off a solid summer of training and are looking forward to getting in competition."
Erica Capellino, another freshman, will start her USC career next week at the SDSU Aztec Invitational.
"Erica has been a real bright spot on this team and looks to be battling for the top position on this team," added Walsh.
This weekend's race is the first of five scheduled regular season meets for the Women of Troy who will also race at the SDSU Aztec Invitational on Sept. 17, the Pomona Pitzer Invitational on Oct. 1, the CS Northridge Invitational on Oct. 15 and the CSUF Titan Invitational on Oct. 21. The first Pac-12 championship in cross country will be hosted by Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. on Oct. 29.
Players Mentioned
