Cross country team strong at Hawaiian meet

By Jennifer Umaña
Daily Forty-Niner

Wiki wiki: (pronounced we-kay we-kay) 1. Hawaiian for "fast, quick." 2. How the Long Beach State cross country men's and women's teams ran this weekend.

The cross country teams competed in the Hawaiian Invitational Saturday at the Kaneohe Klipper Golf Course U.S. Marine Corps Base in Kaneohe, Oahu.

The men's team placed first out of eight teams and the women's team placed fourth out of 13.

The men's team had to work hard to gain first place standing, said Assistant Coach Dana Colligan Gutierrez.

"We really thought we had a good opportunity to win the meet," Colligan Gutierrez said.

The men ran a 5k rather than the 8k they usually run at meets.

"I think that they knew this was their only chance to run a 5k," she said. "The focus was to get the job done."

Running the 5k helped boost the confidence of a lot of the freshmen, who do not have a lot of experience with the 8k, Colligan Gutierrez said.

Leading The Beach with a first-place finish was senior Larry Henderson, who clocked in at 15:42.

"It was a good meet for him," Colligan Gutierrez said. "He's been frustrated the past few meets."

On the women's side, seniors Christine Riel and Mary Colburn did outstanding, Colligan Gutierrez said. Riel placed fifth with a time of 18:29, while Colburn came in sixth at 18:38.

"The women's team did good considering the size and quality of the field," Colligan Gutierrez said.

The top three women's teams, San Diego State, Hawaii (Blue) and Nevada all ran well and put it together a little more, she said.

The race was difficult for freshman Nicole Scott, who has been suffering from hip problems.

"This race really took her out," Colligan Gutierrez said. "The course had a section with a severe downhill. She couldn't really contribute."

She made a good effort however, Colligan Gutierrez said.

"She is making improvements," she said. "We are going to try to manage her injury a little more – keep it from getting as flared as its been. She's really a fighter."

The teams stayed in Hawaii a little while longer than scheduled so that they could enjoy more of the Hawaiian culture, Colligan Gutierrez said.

The teams made it back to Long Beach Monday morning after they caught the redeye out of Oahu.

"It was a very enjoyable trip." Colligan Gutierrez said.