CSULB Online 49er: v9n37: Palacio leads Beach at Big West finals

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Palacio leads Beach at Big West finals

By Mike Haubrich
On-line Forty-Niner

It was no secret Drea Palacio had been having a solid season for Long Beach State, and the sophomore's efforts came to a head Saturday when she finished 10th at the Big West Championships in San Luis Obispo.

Palacio recorded a time of 18:49.9 over 5K on the Cuesta/Fairbanks Cross Country Course, which earned her automatic all-conference honors and helped carry the 49ers to a sixth-place showing as a team -- LBSU's highest conference finish since 1993.

Palacio's individual finish was also the best for a Beach runner since 1993, when former 49er Stacy Pando finished in third-place.

"We're excited for Drea and the program," LBSU Head Coach Andy Sythe said. "It's impressive that she did this as a sophomore and she'll be working for higher finishes in the next two years. Drea really improved the second half of the season."

Transfer junior Sharon Burnett was the second Beach runner to place Saturday, finishing 31st overall with a time of 19:36.2. LBSU freshman Jaclyn Pedersen placed 35th overall at 19:45.6.

"Our women's team gained confidence [Saturday], which they have struggled for all year," Sythe said. "It was a real team effort."

The men's team finished a disappointing eighth overall. While Sythe was frustrated with the result, he didn't place blame on the runners themselves -- the Big West Championships took place on the same course the Beach competed on Oct. 13 at the Cal Poly Invitational and every 49er runner improved on their previous times.

"I'm disappointed with our finish as a team," Sythe said. "Eighth out of nine schools is not reflective of our team. It's a disappointment to all of us, but I feel good about our runners as individuals. They didn't run poorly, this was just a highly competitive race."

Sophomore Aaron Durham, who placed 14th overall at last year's Big West Championships, was the top 49er finisher Saturday at 28th overall with a time of 27:22.4. Freshman Arturo Garcia finished 36th overall at 27:36.9 -- the third-best time for a freshman -- and sophomore Brian Stehmeier finished 46th at 27:53.6.

"Aaron is a consistent runner and performs well in big meets," Sythe said. "He's battled injuries this year, but still finished strong."

UC Santa Barbara took the men's team championship, holding off second-place Utah State, 28-34. Three-time defending champion Cal Poly San Luis Obispo placed third with 78 points. UCSB also claimed the men's individual champion in Eric Gans, who finished with a time of 25:56.4.

Cal Poly SLO took the women's team title -- its second in a row -- by outdistancing runner-up UC Irvine, 37-65. Katie Appenrodt of UCSB was the individual women's winner with a time of 17:47.8.

LBSU will next compete at the NCAA Regionals in Tucson, Ari. Nov. 10. The regional feature longer distances in both the men's (10K) and women's (6K) competition.

"Our men will do better [in Tucson]," Sythe said. "They're a better long distance group. Our women are geared towards the shorter distances, but it shouldn't make a difference at regionals."