HOME OF BULLDOG CROSS COUNTRY- 11 Combined SCIAC Championships

2008 Summary: Redlands Cross Country Teams Improve, Fare Well in SCIAC Competition

Armed with a roster replete with talented underclassmen, the University of Redlands cross country teams excelled during the 2008 season as the women took third and the men placed fourth, respectively, at the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championships.

Head Coach Aaron Olswanger entered his second season at the controls of the program and continued to guide a flourishing corps of runners toward success both at the conference and national level.

Entering into the season, the men looked to fill the shoes of two All-Conference runners who graduated while the women fought to maintain their status as one of the premier contingents in the SCIAC.

Both teams kicked off the 2008 campaign at home by hosting the Redlands Invitational. Junior Stephanie Mera (Redlands, CA) paced the Bulldog women in the 6K, taking eighth with a time of 14:22.29. Other top-30 finishers on the women’s side included sophomore Heather Mayer (Spring Valley, CA) in 21st place, freshman Fiona Wilhelm (Boise, ID) in 24th, freshman Camila Alvarez (San Bernardino, CA) in 27th, and junior Kelly Luck (Boulder, CO) in 30th. Leading the way for the Maroon and Gray on the men’s side in the 8K, junior Jake Baechle (Aurora, OH) crossed the finish line in 16th with a time of 27:47.13. Finishing less than a minute later, freshman Aaron Minsk (Puyallup, WA) rounded out the male Bulldogs in the top 30 by placing 26th (28:24.79).

During the following weekend, the women traveled down the road and competed in the San Bernardino Invitational at Glen Helen Park. Freshman Gabby Black (El Cajon, CA) ran at a 6:54-mile clip, providing the top standard among Redlands runners in the 6K with a 38th-place showing (25:33).

Junior Stephanie Mera (Redlands, CA) and sophomore Jeremy Kalmus (New Orleans, LA) supplied strong finishes for the Maroon and Gray at the highly-competitive Stanford Invitational, which included teams from NCAA Division I to NAIA. In the women’s 6K race, Mera covered the course in 24:45, while Kalmus ran the men’s 8K in 27:32.

After a two-week break, the Bulldogs ran in their first SCIAC meet of the season when they traveled to La Mirada Park for the SCIAC Multi-Duals. This time, Mayer owned the top finish for the Maroon and Gray in the women’s 6K as the sophomore turned in a 16th-place time of 23:47.18, aiding the women’s team in its 4-3 record against the competition. Baechle paced the Bulldog men, checking in at 27:44.28 in the 8K for 18th place. Sophomore Alec Fillmore (Riverside, CA) and Kalmus also gained top-30 finishes, helping the men compile a fourth-place 4-3 record.

On Nov. 1, both teams sought to improve upon their successes from the SCIAC Multi-Duals as the eight conference schools met up for the 2009 SCIAC Cross Country Championships. Luck gained First-Team All-SCIAC honors in the women’s 6K race with a 10th-place time of 24:37.78. Four additional Redlands women ranked among the top 20 as Mayer, sophomore Katie Ostrinski (Riverside, CA), Wilhelm and Alvarez all earned Second-Team All-SCIAC laurels. In the men’s 8K, Baechle took All-Conference First Team honors, stopping the clock at 26:41.30 for ninth place overall. The women ended up in third at the conference championship meet as the men settled for fourth.

Several runners sliced significant time off of their entry marks at the NCAA Division III West Regional Championships as both the men’s and women’s teams rallied to finish among the top 10 in the region. Mayer (23:31.95) edged Ostrinski (23.31.98) by .03 for the best Redlands finish in the women’s 6K, coming in 36th and 37th, respectively. Baechle once again led the Bulldog men in the 8K, shredding through the course in 26:16.66 for 38th place. The women tallied an aggregate time that ranked ninth and the men came in 10th.

While Baechle proved to be the top male runner throughout the 2008 campaign, parity reigned among the women. In each of the six meets, five different female harriers registered the team’s top time.

Five women cracked the program’s all-time top-12 list in the 6K following the NCAA Regional meet with Mayer leading the contenders with her fifth-best time in program history. In addition, Baechle broke into the top-20 list at No. 16 in the 8K with his regional championship performance of 26:16.66.

In March, the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) bestowed the prestigious All-Academic honor upon both the men’s and women’s programs for their excellence on the course as well as in the classroom.

While seniors Jeff West (Denver, CO), Avery Kelly (Fort Worth, TX) and Katie Johnson (Loveland, CO) leave behind an accomplished legacy at Redlands, the teams look to return more than 80 percent of their 2008 rosters next year, which includes six All-Conference honorees.

Track & Field Head Coach Mike Schmidt took over the helm of the program in December and now serves as the head coach for both the cross country and track & field teams. With a slew of point-scorers from both squads slated to return to Redlands next year under the guidance of new leadership, the Bulldogs’ outlook appears to be one with promise and potential.