Oct. 10, 2001

The men will travel across the country to compete in the Pre-NCAA meet on Saturday, October 13th. Hosted by Furman University, the field is expected to be one of the most competitive races of the season, prior to the NCAA Championships. The Gauchos will be approaching the race with the intention of beating teams from outside regions which are expected to finish first or second in the district championships on November 11th. If the Gauchos beat a team that ends up earning an automatic berth to the NCAA meet (first or second in their region), the Gauchos will attain "at large points" which will be taken into consideration for earning one of the 13 "at large selections" to the NCAA Championships.

Last year the Gauchos acquired "at large points" at the Pre-NCAA meet by beating South Florida, Alabama and Missouri (teams that finished 1st or 2nd in their region), in an effort that tied the team with Portland for a 20th place performance out of a 53-team field. 

This year the meet will have two races with teams randomly divided into a Gold Race and a Black Race. The Gauchos are looking to repeat last year's effort with a team that they believe is better. "All we need to do is perform the way we did last year," said head coach Pete Dolan. "With the runners we have now, that shouldn't be too difficult for us."

The Gauchos will be represented by:

Eric Gans
Josh Horton
Brandon von Guenthner
Bryon Lamorandier
J.T. Service
Aaron Sharp
Chris White


This weekend the Gauchos will also be sending their second-string squad to the Cal Poly SLO Invitational, site of the 2001 Big West Conference Championships. Scheduled to race for the Gauchos are:

Ben Armel
Scott Brandos
Ron DiMaggio
Scott McConville
Darren Salmi
Miguel Vasquez

The Gauchos will be resting junior David Monico and senior Steve Rider, but the pair are expected to be given strong consideration for the team's Conference Championship nine-person lineup.

Pre-NCAA Meet Results for 2000
Cal Poly SLO Meet Results for 2000