Event: Big West Conference Championships
Where: UCR Agricultural Operations Course – Riverside, Calif
When: Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
Who to watch: Patrick Parsel was the top UC Davis finisher at the Big West Championships last year, placing 20th.
He is looking for much more this time around.
“This is one of my last cross country races in an Aggie uniform,” said Parsel. “I’m looking to stick my nose in it from the start and battle to the end.”
Called “Rocket Pop” by his teammates, Parsel has raced four times this season, leading the way for the Aggies in two of those races – including his win at the season-opening Aggie Open.
Did you know? Last year the men finished a disappointing sixth at the Big West Championships, yet were the third-best Big West team at the Western Regionals two weeks later. This time, the Aggies enter the championships ranked third.
Preview: Though it’s not the last – nor largest – remaining meet on the schedule, the Big West Championships is arguably the most important.
And the Aggies are ready to roll.
“We’re fit,” said senior captain K.C. Cody. “It’s just a matter of having confidence in that fitness and the toughness to translate it into results.”
Specifically, the Aggies are looking for their efforts to result in a top-two finish.
“We’d like to be in the mix,” said head coach Drew Wartenburg. “Cal Poly would have to be the favorite … but we’ve talked about finishing no worse than second.”
To do so, they’ll have to edge past UC Santa Barbara, who narrowly beat the Aggies two weeks ago in Indiana.
“I want to have no regrets when I cross the finish line,” said Parsel. “It will be a matter of embracing the pain just a bit longer than our competitors.”
– Alex Wolf-Root
