Fresno State Athletics
Fresno State
NCAA Regionals
Garcia Places 20th at NCAA Regional
11/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
Nov. 15, 2008
Complete Men's Results in PDF Format 
Complete Women's Results in PDF Format
FRESNO, Calif. - Erick Garcia wasn't ready to let his season go.
After finishing second by less than three seconds in the Western Athletic Conference championships two weeks ago, Garcia knew the NCAA West Regional would be his chance.
In order to continue his season and compete in the NCAA Championships, Garcia would have to finish among the top 25 racers at the Regional at Stanford to even be eligible for qualification.
"Erick and I talked about if he ran his race, he would be in the top 25," said cross country coach Sean McManus. "But we knew if he didn't run his race, he wouldn't make it."
On Saturday, Garcia ran his race. Kind of.
"I told Erick he needed to run his splits, at least initially," said McManus. "But the leaders went out fast really early and he went with it."
Rather than hold back in the 10K, Garcia went with the front runners early.
"Erick put himself in good position from the start," said McManus. "But that first mile was exceptionally fast. I could tell it was hurting him a bit."
Garcia stayed determined not to let the race get away from him and after the first mile, settled in among the second pack.
"He got into that group and stayed between 18th and 22nd the entire race," said McManus.
And he didn't let up. Garcia finished in 20th with a time of 29:40.85.
For Garcia, it was exactly the kind of race he was looking to run.
"I felt confident going in," he said. "I got into a good position at the beginning and just maintained it. The first mile was fast, but I didn't feel like it was."
Although he took 20th place and earned All-West Region honors, Garcia isn't guaranteed a spot in the NCAA finals just yet.
In order to qualify as an individual, runners had to be among the top 25 racers and then among the top four whose teams didn't qualify. Only the top two teams in the region earn automatic bids to the NCAA final, but there are 13 at-large bids that will be announced Sunday.
"We're 99.9 percent sure he will make it because the third and fourth place teams in the region were ranked the highest out of all the regions," said McManus.
Garcia is among the top four individuals if California, the region's third place team, earns a bid. If not, Garcia will be edged out of the berth.
"Cal and Washington both should be making it," said McManus. "They are easily two of the best teams in the country right now."
As for the Fresno State men's team, their improvement from last season was drastic. The team finished 14th among the 25-team field. The Bulldogs took 21st last season.
"All the guys ran really well," said McManus. "Our goal as a team was to be in the top 15 and we did that and beat all the other WAC teams in the race."
Frank Sanders filled in the second spot on the team, finishing in 57th place with a time of 30:52.30. Max Hernandez ran his best race of the season, timing in at 32:20.14 for 112th overall. Eric Battles and Brandon Geis ran side-by-side, taking 117th and 118th with times of 32:23.21 and 32:33.80 respectively. Elijah Carillo filled in the fifth spot for the Bulldogs with a time of 32:43.63 and a finish of 125. Mitchell Pfyl crossed at 34:53.75 to round out the Fresno State runners.
The women also showed improvement at the meet.
"We ran this exact course six weeks ago at the Stanford Invitational," explained McManus. "And all the women improved by 90 seconds to two-and-a-half minutes."
Jennifer Hernandez, who ran a personal best at the WAC Championships two weeks ago, ran her best 6K at the meet, timing in at 22:12.97 for 104th. Hernandez improved her time by 90 seconds since the Stanford Invite on Sept. 27. Senior Briana Cleary had her best race of the season, finishing second on the team at 147th place and a nearly two minute improvement to clock in at 22:52.57. Megan Poindexter ran the course in 24:37.56 for 191st. Marissa McPhail and Jocelyn Oviedo ran together, crossing within two seconds of each other at 25:30.47 and 25:32.02 respectively. Sasha Souder rounded out the Bulldog corps at 26:15.47.
"We did what we came here to do," said McManus. "We're really happy. We really showed how much we've improved in just six weeks."
The season is over for the teams, while Garcia now awaits the announcement of individual qualifiers for the NCAA final to be held on Nov. 24. The championship race will take place at Indiana State in Terre Haute, Ind.
Women's 6K Results - 28th/30
106. Jennifer Hernandez, 22:12.97
147. Briana Cleary, 22:52.57
191. Megan Poindexter, 24:37.56
198. Marissa McPhail, 25:30.47
199. Jocelyn Oviedo, 25:32.02
203. Sasha Souder, 26:15.47
Men's 10K Results - 14th/25
20. Erick Garcia, 29:40.85
57. Frank Sanders, 30:52.30
112. Max Hernandez, 32:20.14 110
117. Eric Battles, 32:32.12
118. Brandon Geis, 32:33.80
125. Elijah Carillo, 32:43.63
167. Mitchell Pfyl, 34:53.75
Join the State - Fresno State!
Players Mentioned
