Oct. 9, 1999
LONG BEACH and SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The California men's cross country team took first place at the seven-team Long Beach State Invitational Saturday morning at El Dorado Park. This is a good sign for the Golden Bears as the course also hosts the Pac-10 Championships, Oct. 30.
The Bears placed in the top three collegiate finishes to claim the title with a score of 33 points, six points ahead of second-place UCLA (39). Rounding out the top five were Long Beach State (76), USC (96) and Azusa Pacific (130).
Cal junior Bolota Asmerom set a cross country 8,000-meter career best, winning the individual race in a time of 24:16. Senior Peter Gilmore finished second in 24:20, while Steve Immel placed fourth in 24:36. Eric Gans, who ran unattached, placed third in 24:35 but did not affect the team scoring.
Senior Christy Villa represented the Cal women at the Long Beach State Invitational. She finished 27th in 18:47. The rest of Villa's teammates combined for a fourth-place finish (89) Saturday at the seven-team San Francisco State Invitational in Golden Gate Park. Fresno State took top honors with a mark of 48.
Sophomore Erin Belger led the way for Cal with her first collegiate title, covering the 2.5-mile course in 15:28. Freshman Linden Bader finished third for Cal in 15:42.
The Bears final tune-up for the Pac-10 Championships is Oct. 16 at Pre-Nationals in Bloomington, Ind.
Long Beach State Invitational
El Dorado Park
Men's Team Scores: 1. California 33, 2. UCLA 39, 3. Long Beach State 76, 4. USC 96, 5. Azusa Pacific 130, 6. CS Northridge 176, 7. Loyola Marymount 182.
Men's Individual Leaders: 1. Bolota Asmerom, Cal, 24:16, 2. Peter Gilmore, Cal, 24:20, 3. Eric Gans, Unattached, 24:35, 4. Steve Immel, Cal 24:36, 5. Will Bernaldo, UCLA, 24:42.
Other Cal Men's Finishes: 13. Brian Cooke, 25:09, 24. Peter Egerton, 25:54. Cal Women's Finish: 27. Christy Villa, 18:47.
-------------------------
San Francisco State Invitational
Golden Gate Park
Women's Team Scores: 1. Fresno State 48, 2. CS Stanislaus 77, 3. CS Sacramento 78, 4. California 89, 5. Sonoma State 106, 6. Chico State 118, 7. San Francisco State 153.
Women's Individual Leaders: 1. Erin Belger, Cal 15:28, 2. Tiffany Rhea, CS Stanislaus, 15:38, 3. Linden Bader, Cal, 15:42, 4. Debby Hughes, SF State, 15:45, 5. Wendy Fortino, CS Stanislaus, 15:50.
Other Cal Finishes: 17. Camille Stanley, 16:39, 35. Stephanie Smith, 17:54, 37. Dawn Beahm, 17:55, 56. Katy Corliss, 22:57.
Cal Men's Finishes: 18. Mike Pestorich, 27:34, 21. Nick Martin, 28:01, 22. Craig Lee, 28:02.
