Fresno State Athletics
'Dogs open season hosting Fresno St. Invite
9/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
By: Travis Blanshan
tblanshan@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
* Meet Info (PDF)
* Course Maps (PDF)
FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno State men's and women's cross country teams officially kick off the 2015 season on Friday morning hosting the Fresno State Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno.
FRESNO STATE INVITATIONAL - MEET INFORMATION
Date: Friday, September 11, 2015
Time: 8 a.m. - Men's 6000m; 8:45 a.m. - Women's 4200m
Location: Woodward Park, Fresno, California; Race will begin/finish near the Mtn. View Shelter.
Directions: From Hwy 41 North or Hwy 41 South, exit 135 at Friant Road. Turn North on Friant Road. Proceed 1/2 mile. Turn left on Audubon Road. Proceed approx. 1/2 mile. Park entrance will be on the right.
Entries: College teams (Division I/II/JUCO) along with unattached runners.
Course Description: The course in 95% hard packed dirt. There is a 100m stretch in the first and last half mile that is paved. Flats are highly recommended.
Results: Will be available afterwards at both gobulldogs.com and directathletes.com.
WHAT THE 'DOGS LOOK LIKE IN 2015
The men return a lot of firepower from 2014 this fall bringing back seven of their top eight runners and are still quite young with only one senior, Nathan Esparza, on the team. Leading the way will be junior Matt Kwiatkowksi who looks to build upon a strong finish to last year and improve his 31st place showing at the Mountain West Championships. Also returning are five other experienced runners for the "Dogs in Efren Reyes, Uriel Cabanas, Joel Gonzalez, Esteban Vega and Cooper Gill.
On the women's side, senior Annemarie Schwanz looks to close her cross country career at Fresno State with a fantastic finish. She was the top runner for the "Dogs in all five races she competed in last fall, including capturing an event win at last year's Fresno State Invitational. Also returning to lineup will be sophomore Mackenzie Landa, senior Meagan Paracholski and junior Brittany Laygo.
TEAMS SET TO COMPETE AT INVITE
The Bulldogs welcome an expanded field to Fresno in 2015 as more than ten teams from around California will compete. At the head of the field in both races is Stanford who comes in ranked second in the country by USTFCCCA on the men's side and seventh on the women's. Both teams are top in the West Region rankings and are joined by Cal Poly who checks in 11th in the West on both the men's and women's. Also running on Friday will be Sacramento State, San Jose State, CSU Stanislaus, CSU East Bay, Pacific Union College and CSU Bakersfield (women only).
2014 FRESNO STATE INVITE RECAP
The Bulldog women captured the team title at last year's Invite scoring 33 points with Schwanz claiming the individual crown. Landa placed fifth and Paracholski was 21st. Taylor Samson and Laygo finished 25th and 26th, respectively. The men placed second as a team scoring 44 points as Kwiatkowski finished third overall running the 6K course in 18:38.9. Esparza finished 11th, Reyes was 17th and Cabanas was 18th.
GONNA BE A HOT ONE
With Friday's high temperature expected to reach 106 degrees, the early morning race will be a welcome relief to the runners as temperatures are only expected in the high 70's, low 80's come race time.
SCORING AT HOME
With the mixture of Division I, II and JUCO teams in Friday's races, the top five finishers on each team will score points. Division I team scores will be computed with all other divisions scored separately.
MOUNTAIN WEST PRESEASON POLLS
The Bulldog men were predicted to finish seventh in the Mountain West preseason poll released on August 19, while the women checked in eighth. The men finished seventh at the 2014 MW Championships hosted at Woodward Park and the women came in eighth.
STAYING BUSY
After this weekend, the 'Dogs stay busy in the early season racing the next three weekends. They head to the UW Sundodger Invitational hosted by Washington next Saturday in Seattle, Wash., before heading to the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 26 and the Sacramento State Invitational on Oct. 3.
