Bulldogs looking for fast start

Upcoming CSU Stanislaus Invitational will provide measuring stick for early season progress

By Maggie Thach
The Collegian

The women’s cross country team is looking to repeat history Saturday at the CSU Stanislaus Invitational. After taking a one-year break from the event (participating in Santa Clara University’s Bronco Invitational) the Bulldogs are looking to have the same success as in previous years.

Fresno State placed first in the Invitational from 2001-2003 and has captured the title five of the last seven years. In the three-year span during which the Bulldogs won, Fresno State also had the invitational’s top runners in Kara June and Olga Gutierrez.

“It’ll be good to be able to see how each athlete handles a race situation,” said first-year coach Joe Gonzales. “We just had the Fullerton meet last week. It was a slow course, there was thick grass and hills. We weren’t used to it but Stanislaus will be different.”

June graduated in 2004 but someone is quickly filling her spot. Andrea Buckner, who didn’t start running cross country until she came to Fresno State, finished as the top runner in all seven races last season.

“We’ve done so well at Stanislaus because we’ve always had good people like Kara June,” said junior Zinzi Evans, who finished behind Buckner and Roxanne Sellick in the CSU Fullerton Invitational. “Andrea’s following right behind her footsteps, if not in her footsteps.”

But Buckner has faced some setbacks. Over the summer, she suffered an IT band injury, an injury that involves the muscles extending from the hip down to the knee. Buckner has been training in the pool but will compete at Stanislaus State.

“I was at half-strength for the Fullerton meet,” Buckner said. “For Stanislaus, I want my legs to feel good and get a personal record.”

Buckner’s main goal for this weekend’s meet is to get better. That’s the main goal for Gonzales, as well.

“We’re just trying to get healthy and avoid injuries,” Gonzales said. “It’s frustrating for Andrea to not be able to practice. Zinzi Evans has been the leader in her place.”

Evans and Sellick join Buckner as the top three runners on the team.

Although the upcoming meet will provide insight on the progress the team has made, Fresno State’s main concern is the meet the counts the most: the WAC meet at the end of October.

Because of that, the runners will run through every race, taking no break before going into this weekend’s event.

“This meet will definitely give us more confidence for the next one,” Evans said. “Of course we take every meet seriously but the WAC meet is the most important. You can have a good season all year but it doesn’t mean anything. The WAC meet is what counts. We have to look at the bigger picture.”