2009 Summary: Bulldog Cross Country Season Culminates in Three All-Region Showings
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.