Graduate student Davis Bove led the Cal Poly Men’s Cross Country team to a third consecutive win and continued his dominant season at the Bronco Invitational, hosted by Santa Clara University at Baylands Regional Park on Oct. 14.
Across the country, Cal Poly Women’s Cross Country finished seventh at the XC23 Pre-Nationals, hosted by the University of Virginia at Panorama Farms.
Both teams have enjoyed standout seasons, continuing last year’s success where both men’s and women’s teams swept the Big West championships.
The day’s meets mark the end of the regular season for both teams as the Big West championships are set for later this month.
The Men’s Team
Bove, who transferred from LSU this fall, won his second consecutive race in what has been an outstanding season, finishing Saturday with a personal-best time of 23:14.4. Last week he was named the Big West Men’s Cross Country Athlete of the Week after his victory at the Bill Dellinger Invitational, hosted by the University of Oregon on Sept. 22.
Other men’s top finishers on Saturday include junior Colton Swinth (23:41.1) and redshirt sophomore Spencer Pickren (23:44.6), who placed eighth and ninth, respectively.
Heading into the meet, the Mustang men’s team was ranked 28th nationally in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches’ national poll, marking the first time the team had been nationally ranked since 2011.
The team has won all three meets that they have participated in so far this year.
The USTFCCCA ranked the men’s team sixth in the west region for week three.
The Women’s Team
After winning the first meet of the year, the women’s team has placed third and now seventh leading into the championships later this month.
Redshirt junior Schuyler Gooley was the Mustangs’ top finisher for a second consecutive week, placing 32nd with a time of 20:44.7.
Though they didn’t make it onto the national coaches’ poll last week, the women’s team did receive five votes, marking the first time in the program’s history that both the men’s and women’s teams received votes nationally in the same week.
The women’s team is currently ranked 10th in the West Region, according to USTFCCCA.
Both teams are looking to continue their success in a home meet at the Big West Cross Country Championships, hosted by Cal Poly at the Blacklake Golf Resort in Nipomo on Oct. 27. The meet will determine the conference’s individual and team championships.