MARC CHOQUETTE
Staff Writer
The Pepperdine men’s cross country team followed up a great performance at the San Diego Invitational with its second straight first-place finish Saturday at the Pepperdine Invitational.
The performance of senior Chad Trammell probably caught the attention of those awake early enough on Saturday to see the team running around the hills on campus.
Trammell picked up his second first-place finish this year, edging out Manuel Ruiz of Cal State Northridge by two seconds, as he continues to be a force to reckon with on the team.
Other Waves in the top 10 included sophomores Sam Hudson and Matt Jenks, at fifth and sixth respectively, in addition to freshmen Tim Hatters and B.J. Fleming at the nine and 10 spots, easily giving the gold to Pepperdine.
Hudson said the experience of running in Malibu helped them in the race.
“Our course is deceivingly hilly and familiarity was important,” Hudson said. “Several runners from Northridge and USC took the race out too fast and ended up paying for it.”
What must be going through a runner’s mind during a race when he sees those steep hills to conquer all over the place?
“During the race, I wasn’t worried about my splits. The hills prevent you from running a blistering time,” Hudson said. “I saw this meet more as an opportunity to simulate the conditions we’ll face at the conference meet, which is also a hilly course.”
Coming up for the Waves is a trip across Los Angeles to Riverside for the Riverside Invitational. In regard to this meet, Hudson said, “The Riverside course is known for producing fast times and being a large race. It’s a good meet to see where we stack up and to run a personal best.”
09-29-2005