UC Davis traveled to Stanford for the NCAA West Regional looking to close out its season on top.
UC Davis men started their 10K at 10 a.m on Saturday. A short 29 minutes and 30 seconds later, senior Jonathan Peterson was crossing the finish line. Peterson’s time was 35 seconds faster than the time he posted at last year’s NCAA West Regional.
Peterson’s finish earned him a bid in the NCAA Championship, which was his goal for this season.
Senior Axel Stanovsky was the next Aggie to finish. He completed the race with a time of 31:11, placing 87th overall. Sophomore Nathan Strum and freshman Trevor Halsted both ran the race in 31:52, placing third and fourth for the Aggies, 116th and 118th overall.
The seven men combined to earn 17th place for the Aggies overall.
“For the men we’ve had trouble putting together a full strength effort. We’re young on the men’s side and age and experience factor heavily in this sport but today we gained experience,” coach Drew Wartenburg said.
The Aggie women entered the meet fresh off winning their first ever Big West Championship title.
UC Davis finished eighth on Saturday, equalling their ranking entering the meet.
“We went in and held serve on the women’s side,” Wartenburg said. “We had hoped for more so there is a small sense of disappointment.”
Junior Sarah Sumpter led the women’s side, finishing first for the Aggies and 28th overall with a time of 20:58.
Sumpter was followed by sophomore Alycia Crideburg, who placed 45th overall with a time of 21:25.
Senior Krista Dreschler finished just five seconds later, placing third for the Aggies and 51st overall with her time of 21:30.
Wartenburg was disappointed that the women didn’t place higher but there are a few positives to be taken away from the meet.
“We’re deep on our women’s side,” he said. “We’re returning five out of seven runners for next year so that’s something to build on.”
The runners will now transition to shorter distances as they prepare for the spring track and field season.
Meanwhile, Jonathan Peterson has one more 10K to run for the Aggies. He will race in UC Davis colors Nov. 21 in Terre Haute, Indiana at the NCAA Championships.
KIM CARR can be reached at sports@theaggie.org.
