Event: Doc Adams Open
Where: Putah Creek Reserve Course
When: Saturday at 10 a.m.
Who to watch: Senior Caitlin Fitzgerald has been the Aggies’ first- or second-place finisher for the last three events. The Palmdale, Calif. native will look to maintain her high performance level for the Aggies and break into the top 10 of this weekend’s overall field.
Did you know? The Aggies are undefeated at home so far this season after beating Sacramento State in the Aggie Open on Sept. 4.
Preview: After an amazing finish last weekend at the Big West Conference Championship meet, the Aggies look to continue their dominance at home on Saturday at the Doc Adams Open.
UC Davis has hosted the Doc Adams Open since 2008 and has posted great results each year.
At the 2009 event, the men took first place in the 8K race while the women were led by junior Kristina Taylor, who took third place in the 6K.
This year is shaping up to yield similar results at the Doc Adams Open, especially since the Aggies are coming off of an outstanding performance last weekend as the Aggie men won the Big West Championship.
Caitlin Fitzgerald and Krista Dreschler have led the way for the women this season, and the senior and junior runners look to set the tone once again and get a win on their home turf. Along with the upperclassmen, some younger faces will be taking the stage this Saturday.
Axel Stanovsky, a junior transfer from Washington, and freshman Greyson Hough should be making themselves known this weekend. Both had top-20 finishes back in September at the Hornet Jamboree hosted by Sacramento State.
On the women’s side, sophomore Sarah Tusting looks to be following close behind Dreschler and Fitzgerald in terms of top Aggie finishers. Tusting took seventh place in the 6K at the Hornet Jamboree, finishing only four seconds behind Fitzgerald.
While the big names like Peterson, Sees, Thigpen and Dreschler have been leading the way all season, the Doc Adams Open is shaping up to be a perfect opportunity for new runners to step into the spotlight. Saturday’s race serves to look ahead into the 2011 campaign to see who can fill the big shoes left by this year’s senior class.
Now that Big West competition is over and the Aggies have proven that they stand alone at the top of the conference, coach Drew Wartenburg and his team look to prove themselves on the national scale. The best foot will be put forward this Saturday at the Doc Adams Open.
– Johnny Parsons
