USC set to compete in Pac-12 championships


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This weekend the USC cross-country team will travel to Arizona to compete in the Pac-12 championships.

The 6-kilometer race will be held at the Wigwam Golf Resort in Litchfield, Ariz.

USC will send seven runners to the championships: junior Shelby Buckley, sophomore Jaclyn Walles, redshirt freshman Katie DeYoung and freshmen Erica Capellino, Erin Robinson, Kira Soderstrom and Shannon Byrne. Of those seven, Buckley is the only USC participant who holds conference meet experience, but USC coach Tom Walsh is confident USC is well prepared.

“We’ve been resting this past week and getting the girls’ legs fresh and ready for the competition on Saturday,” Walsh said. “Everyone is excited. It’s going to be the best conference meet in the country.”

Five of the top 11 teams in the country will  race this weekend. Washington is ranked No. 2 in the country, though No. 8 Stanford has won the cross-country conference title in 13 of the past 15 seasons. USC will also race against No. 5 Arizona, No. 10 California, No. 11 Oregon and No. 16 Colorado. The Pac-12 is arguably one of the most competitive divisions in the country when it comes to cross-country.

“I’m not going to make any predictions about our placement because the only thing I can control is how our girls do,” Walsh said.  “There’s no defense in the sport of cross-country. We can only worry about ourselves and do what we can do.”

Walsh notes DeYoung is one runner to watch during the race. Though DeYoung has not been a major contributor in the season so far, she has performed consistently and will be an asset to the team in Litchfield.

“She’s been behind the radar and quietly doing everything I’ve asked her to do,” Walsh said. “She’s really picked up the pace in practice and has made great progress.”

After the Pac-12 championships, USC will head to the NCAA regional championships in Palo Alto, Calif., on Nov. 12. Runners will be able to qualify for the NCAA national championships at the meet.

“We’ll evaluate to see where we are after [Arizona],” Walsh said. “Sometimes we send a team [to regionals] if we think that team is good enough to qualify for nationals, and sometimes we send individuals. This meet will be a deciding factor.”