HOME OF BULLDOG CROSS COUNTRY- 11 Combined SCIAC Championships

The University of Redlands women’s and men’s cross country teams continued to show improvement during the 2009 campaign, ending the season with three U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honorees and team rankings among the top 10 in the region.

Head Coach Mike Schmidt assumed the head coaching duties this year, inheriting experienced squads with talented student-athletes. After flying under the radar for a good portion of the season, both teams claimed at least a share of fourth place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). In addition, the Bulldogs finished the year ranked among the top 10 in the region with the men occupying the No. 9 spot and the women anchoring down the No. 10 ranking.

The Maroon and Gray kicked off its season on Sept. 5 with the CSU Fullerton Season Opener and gained experience against NCAA Division I harriers. Senior Stephanie Mera (Redlands, CA) provided the top Bulldog women’s time in the 6K with a 27:48.80, and senior Kelly Luck (Boulder, CO) crossed the finish line just eight seconds later (27:56.40). In the men’s 8K, junior Jeremy Kalmus (New Orleans, LA) stopped the clock at 29:29.80, which stood as the team-best mark.

On Sept. 12, teams from 11 area schools convened on the University of Redlands quad for the annual Redlands Invitational. Deviating from the usual distances used in NCAA cross country races, the meet offered a 4,500-meter run for the women and a 6K run for the men. Junior Katie Ostrinski (Riverside, CA) and senior Stephanie Mera (Redlands, CA) finished in tandem in front of the pack of Bulldog runners, placing 17th and 18th overall, respectively. In the men’s 6K, senior Jake Baechle (Aurora, OH) and Kalmus paced the Maroon and Gray, supplying respective places of 22nd and 23rd.

Following a three-week respite, the Bulldogs tested out the NCAA Division III West Regional course on the campus of Pomona College in the West Region Preview Meet. Luck shored up a 20th-place finish in the women’s 6K with a season-best time of 24:28.00 while Kalmus made a statement performance in the men’s 8K by besting a handful of talented runners with a 15th-place time of 26:46.50.

The conference season began with the SCIAC Multi-Duals. Held in La Mirada, the meet offered both teams a chance to size up their abilities against the conference field before the championship meet. Ostrinski and Kalmus led the way for both teams, capturing 17th in the women’s 6K and the men’s 8K, respectively. In the team results, the women settled for fifth with a 3-4 record while the men went 4-3 and took fourth.

On the morning of Halloween, the Maroon and Gray took to the SCIAC championship course at Prado Park in Chino, eyeing to maintain its status as one of the conference’s top-four programs. Both squads finished fourth on the morning, but a number of individuals produced impressive times that resulted in All-SCIAC laurels. Ostrinski headed up the pack of Bulldog women in the 6K, finishing seventh with a First-Team All-SCIAC time of 24:05.47. Luck and junior Heather Mayer (Spring Valley, CA) gained Second-Team All-Conference honors as a result of placing 13rd (24:28.58) and 14th (24:29.22), respectively. Battling for a top-20 showing, Kalmus emerged as the first Redlands harrier to complete the men’s 8K with an 18th-place standard of 26:57.34. As a result of his performance, Kalmus garnered a spot on the All-SCIAC Second Team.

By combining the results from the SCIAC Multi-Dual and the Championships, the Bulldog women tied Whittier College for fourth in the standings while the men took sole possession of fourth.

Redlands closed out its season on Nov. 14 by competing at the NCAA Division III West Regional meet. Pitted against runners representing SCIAC and Northwest Conference programs, in addition to those from independent institutions Colorado College and Chapman University, the Bulldogs fared well. Ostrinski and Mayer earned USTFCCCA All-Region honors in the women’s 6K, finishing 23rd (23:45.98) and 29th (23:51.08), respectively. In the men’s 8K, Kalmus gained USTFCCCA All-Region accolades with a 29th-place standard of 26:57.19. The Maroon and Gray cracked the top 10 in the team standings with the women claiming 10th and the men taking ninth.

With Ostrinski and Mayer set to return to the women’s squad and with Kalmus slated to lead the men’s team again next year, the Maroon and Gray’s swiftest harriers look to factor in the program’s success in 2010. In addition, given the development of its younger runners and the student-athletes’ acclimation to a new head coach, Redlands looks poised to improve upon its productive 2009 campaign when it returns to action next season.