Spokane, WA - This weekend the University of La Verne men's and women's cross country teams competed in the NCAA West Region Championships in Spokane, Washington at Whitworth University. Another step in the continuous journey to excellence, the members of both teams used the championships to not only compete but to also improve individually as various Leopards set personal records and potentially position themselves for a place in the NCAA National Championships.
The women's team placed 23rd out of the 29 teams competing. The ladies competed at a high level and executed the game plan for the regional championship. Destiny Espinoza-Guerrero ran her best race of the year, knocking out a thirty-five-second personal record of 27:04.
Head coach Jamie Norton was pleased with the progress his team made during the season and is looking forward to the future for the ladies. "We are super excited for track season and to keep building off of the momentum these young women have created. They are hard-working and their positive energy lifts up everyone around them. It's been a fun season with that team."
The men's team placed 7th out of the 29 teams competing in Spokane. The team improved from last year's 9th-place finish. Though placing higher than last year, the Leopards did not meet their personal expectations set for themselves. TK Berhe positioned himself for a potential national qualifying spot in the NCAA Championships. TK could potentially be the eighth runner in La Verne history to qualify for nationals as an individual and could potentially be the first-ever All-American ever in the men's cross-country program.
First-year runner Nicholas Saenz finished the day as the #2 freshman in the meet. Jose Reyes and Efren Martin had strong performances in the race as well. Coach Norton is proud of the strides that his team has made this year. "It's been a fun year with both these groups and I'm so proud of the work they have put in, the progress they have made, and the young men and women they are becoming in the process. We didn't accomplish all of our goals this season, but we put ourselves out there and set high standards for ourselves and that will pay off in the future in a myriad of ways for all these athletes. The men's team is the deepest it's ever been, with many guys poised to take the leap to the next level that is going to finally elevate our team to national prominence. The women's team is on that path as well with a couple more years of growth, development, and recruiting. Can't wait to hopefully see TK run at nationals next weekend and then get people rested and building up for track season. The next race is never to far away for our athletes!"