Bridget Dahlberg Takes Individual Honors
11/2/2013 3:18:00 PM
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MALIBU, Calif. – The 17th-ranked San Francisco women's cross country team dominated the field to earn its fifth-straight West Coast Conference crown Saturday at Alumni Park.
The Dons led from the start, with a pack of Green and Gold racing out to the lead and never looking back.
"Obviously, it's really exciting to win our fifth, and it doesn't really seem like that many. It all goes so fast," head coach Helen Lehman-Winters said. "We came into the championships knowing that this was a really important meet for us. Winning five is really all about the people we have in our program and the standards that they've set. I attribute this success to them."
By the first split time, Bridget Dahlberg had jumped to an early lead, with senior Maor Tiyouri holding third in the individual standings. By the second check-in at the 6,000 meter course, Dahlberg was running comfortably in second, with Portland's Laura Hottenrott taking over the lead.
Hottenrott continued to lead as the runners entered the finishing stretch. Dahlberg pushed to a sizeable lead before Hottenrott's kick gave her the advantage once again. But Dahlberg, a graduate student from Newton, Mass., wasn't done – her final push was enough to regain the lead and give USF its second-consecutive individual title with a time of 20:55.
"It was a pretty tough course and the final straightaway was quite a fight with the girl from Portland, so I was glad to be finished with the race," Dahlberg told TheW.tv's Amanda Blackwell after the race. "I just think the team had a great performance today and nothing stops momentum. This is a great start before regions."
Dahlberg was not the only USF runner to find success on the speedy Southern California course, with four Dons landing in the top 10. Senior Maor Tiyouri landed on the All-WCC first team for the third time in her collegiate career after completing the course in 21:20 to take sixth. Redshirt seniors Sophie Curl and Eva Krchova finished in eighth and 10th, respectively, and can now boast WCC titles in each of their collegiate seasons, starting with USF's first ever team title in 2009.
Kate Jamboretz rounded out the scoring, with a 14th place finish for the deep and seasoned squad. Running nine in the event, Jana Soethout, Kailey Ulland, Sarah Pearson and Daryl Phill all ran the loop with solid results as every Don finished in the top two-thirds of the field.
The postseason continues for the Dons, as the squad prepares two more weekends in the outstanding 2013 season, starting with the NCAA West Regionals on Nov. 15.
"I think we've learned from the past couple years that this is a great meet to build off of and really gain momentum," Curl said. "We've also learned in the past couple years that the region meet is a big thing and we can't take our success for granted at all and really just move forward."
The regionals, held at Haggin Oaks GC in Sacramento, Calif., will be the last opportunity for the Dons to make any race-day tweaks before an expected trip to the NCAA Championships Nov. 23 in Terra Haute, Ind.
Official 2013 WCC Women's Cross Country Results
TEAM:
1. San Francisco - 39
2. Portland - 62
3. Brigham Young - 62
4. Loyola Marymount - 79
5. Gonzaga - 112
6. Santa Clara - 194
7. Pepperdine - 201
8. San Diego - 222
9. Saint Mary's - 266
10. Pacific – 300
INDIVIDUAL:
1. Bridget Dahlberg – 20:55
6. Maor Tiyouri – 21:20
8. Sophie Curl – 21:29
10. Eva Krchova – 21:31
14. Kate Jamboretz – 21:46
22. Jana Soethout – 22:06
37. Kailey Ulland – 22:49
46. Sarah Pearson – 23:02
58. Daryl Phill – 23:28
2013 All-WCC Cross Country Women's Team
First Team
Bridget Dahlberg, USF
Laura Hottenrott, POR
Gina Paletta, POR
Sheree Shea, LMU
Grace Graham-Zamudi, LMU
Maor Tiyouri, USF
Andrea Harrison, BYU
Sophie Curl, USF
Natalie Shields, BYU
Eva Krchova, USF
Honorable Mention
Lauren Bergam, GON
Tansey Lystad, POR
Sarah Yingling, BYU
Kate Jamboretz, USF
Danielle Shanahan, LMU
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