USC off and running at Titan Invitational


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The USC cross-country team looks to follow up last week’s impressive second place at the Titan Invitational on the Cal State Fullerton campus, the last non-championship race of the season this weekend.

The 5k race will begin at 5:00 p.m. today on the Cal State Fullerton campus. This is the first night race this season, as the majority of collegiate races are run in the mornings. Seven USC athletes will run this weekend: Francesca Adamski, Shelby Buckley, Anna Burger, Austin Lundin, Jessica Lundin, Erin Matranga and Kelly Owen. This race, however, will serve mainly as a tune-up before the Pac-12 championships, which are scheduled for Oct. 29 in Tempe, Ariz.

“Our goal is to keep improving and stay healthy during these last few weeks of the season,” USC coach Tom Walsh said. “The freshmen have done a great job of pacing themselves through this season.”

Last week’s performance at the Northridge Invitational was a well-deserved boost in the team’s morale, with USC placing second overall and freshman Erica Capellino taking third among the competitors. She was followed by Shelby Buckley in 11th place, Erin Robinson and Kira Soderstrom in 19th and 20th, respectively, Katie DeYoung in 22nd and Jaclyn Walles, Shannon Byrne, and Kelly Owen in 27th, 29th and 33rd. Austin Lundin placed 52nd, while Erin Matranga, Jessica Lundin and Anna Burger came in 58th, 63rd and 87th, respectively.

“I was very pleased that our fifth runner finished the race ahead of everyone else’s fifth runner. Erica Capellino led the way with a strong effort in her first 6k race as a [Woman of Troy],” Walsh said. “I thought Erin Robinson, Kira Soderstrom and Katie DeYoung all pushed hard in the middle of the race, and really battled against the other runners around them. This helped us close the gap between our first and fifth runner, which is very important in a cross country race.”

Last week’s performance at the Northridge Invitational might be a good predictor of the team’s potential at the Pac-12 championships, as both are 6k races. The distance is a problem for many schools, as collegiate cross-country races are typically five kilometers in length. USC’s runners, however, tend to perform well at longer distances.

Walsh said that after careful consideration of last week’s race, as well as overall performance, the seven girls who will run in the Pac-12 championships are Shelby Buckley, Shannon Byrne, Erica Capellino, Katie DeYoung, Erin Robinson, Kira Soderstrom and Jackie Walles. Five of the seven girls selected for the championship race are freshman, but Walsh believes the young team will be an advantage in the long run.

“This is a positive because they will gain the necessary experience to eventually score well in the conference championships,” Walsh said. “I [won’t say anything else] other than that USC will come and run our best race of the season in Tempe.”