NCAA XC Countdown #17: UCLA Men and Butler & Notre Dame Women

Aug 6, 2013 by Isaac Wood

For the next few weeks, The Wood Report will be counting down projected team finishes in this year's NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, IN. Make sure to stay up-to-date with The Wood Report throughout the season. Feel free to follow him on Twitter, too.

View the full NCAA Top 31 Countdown HERE.

#17

UCLA Men

Head Coach: Forest Braden (2nd Season)

2012 National Finish- 13th

Key Returners from 2012

Lane Werley (Jr., 8:13 Open 3k, 13:53 5k)
Dustin Fay (Sr., 8:01 Open 3k,13:49 5k, 29:30 10k
Daniel Herrera (Sr., 3:45 1500m, 8:08 Open 3k, 14:14 5k)
Sergey Sushchikh (So., 30:04 10k)

Impact Recruits/Transfers

John Lawson (Fr., 8:58 3200m, 9th at FL Finals '12)
Daniel De La Torre (Fr., 4:10 1600m, 9:04 3200m)

Season Preview

Possibly one of the biggest surprises to the cross country scene in 2012 was UCLA. Coming out of the brutal West Region prepared them very well for the opportunity to shine at the national meet. The Bruins peaked perfectly and had their fifth best finish in program history, placing 13th overall.

Coach Forest Braden, who is also still a very solid distance runner himself, is doing great work in Westwood as UCLA is as relevant on the national level now as they ever have been. With a core group of runners returning and a good recruiting class, the Bruins are looking to build upon last season's successes.

The main man for UCLA and their low-stick is Lane Werley. Lane was very impressive at Pac-12s and the West Regional where he placed fifth overall in both races. This momentum carried into NCAAs where he placed 25th and was All-American. His low points were crucial to UCLAs final score and overall place. Werley had a good track season, finishing second at the Pac-12 5000m outdoors and bringing his PR down to 13:53.

Probably the most untapped talent on this Bruin squad is Dustin Fay. Not lacking for courage, Fay lays it out on the line every race by going out hard and testing his limits. Fay actually has the best 5k PR on the team, having run 13:49 during the indoor season of 2012. If he can stay healthy and roll with Werley up front, they provide a very good 1-2 for UCLA.

The rest of the returners are now experienced cross country runners at the national level where they have seen success and will be hungry for more. Daniel Herrera had the best track season this past spring of the crew returning. Herrera ran 3:45 for 1500m and 14:14 for 5k and ran a very good 1 Mile leg of their MPSF winning DMR indoors.

Nohe Lema and Sergey Sushchikh are now one year older and wiser too, and are key contributors to their pack. Lema had a very good regional race last year, finishing just outside the top-20 in 21st.

From a recruiting stand-point the Coach Braden did an excellent job bringing in the local talent that will be future stars one day, similar to Fay and Werley. John Lawson is the best of the bunch having run very well in cross country last season placing ninth at the Foot Locker finals and also had a great track season running 8:58 for 3200m. He could possibly crack their top seven and provide motivation for the guys up front to not get beat by a freshman. Daniel de la Torre and Richard Ho are also local kids that are experienced and good cross country runners that will be especially good down the road.

Forest Braden is one of the most impressive coaches in the NCAA right now, turning around this UCLA squad and making them relevant. With your coach being able to beat your for 5k and 10k provides plenty of motivation for these guys to get better. After a breakout year in 2012, UCLA is ready for more and with Werley and Fay leading the way, the Bruins are ready to roll in 2013.

#17 Butler and Notre Dame Women

Butler

Head Coach: Matt Roe (7th Season)

2012 National Finish- 29th

Key Returners from 2012

Katie Clark (Sr., 4:17 1500m, 9:22 Open 3k, 15:43 5k , 33:36 10k)
Mara Olson (Jr., 9:29 Open 3k, 16:08 5k)
Olivia Pratt (So., 16:30 5k, 35:32 10k)
Kirsty Legg (Jr., 4:16 1500m, 9:19 Open 3k)

Impact Recruits/Transfers

Lauren Wood (Fr., 4:52 1600m, 10:21 3200m, NXN Nats Qualifier '12- 65th)
Katie Good (Jr., From the UK, 9:43 Open 3k, 16:32 5k)

Season Preview

A 29th finish at NCAAs in 2012 is just the motivation a team this talented needs in order to take things to the next level. Coach Matt Roe has brought together a team that is capable of some very scary things in 2013 if all of the pieces come together. With the amount of quality athletes that Coach Roe has returning and of those incoming, Butler is a team to watch out for in this upcoming cross country year.

Katie Clark is the team leader and is one of the strongest distance runners on the track returning for the 2013 season. Clark has proven herself on the national level in both the 5k and the 10k, qualifying for NCAA Outdoors in both this past spring. She is also one of the top returning All-Americans from cross country in 2012 and Clark will prove to be a very key low-stick for the Bulldogs.

Without a doubt, Butler has an incredible no. 1 runner in Clark, luckily for the Bulldogs, they bring back a pack of very equally talented ladies that at any race could be their no's. 2-5.

Mara Olson is coming off of the best track season of her career where she made huge strides (literally) in the 5000m and the 1500m. Her 16:08 5k PR is second only to Clark and this momentum coming off of this season will help her solidify a spot up front in their pack.

Kirsty Legg spent the majority of the 2012 xc season in the no. 2 or no. 3 spot and should find that spot her home again in 2013. Legg brings the consistency needed to keep the 1-5 spread close, especially considering how good Katie Clark really is. Olivia Pratt is also a solid pack runner with good track PRs.

A few incoming athletes will also add to an already very good team. Katie Good of the U.K. is an experienced cross country runner that will help increase the depth on this team. Lauren Wood is a wildcard true freshman that could make an immediate impact in the top five. Wood has run 10:21 for 3200m and ran pretty well at NXN Nationals this past year. This is quality high level cross country experience that should translate over to the NCAA scene.

Being in the same Region as Toledo, Notre Dame, Michigan State and Michigan, the Bulldogs will need to be prepared to run well when it matters most in November. The key will be to not repeat last year's scenario where Butler ran so well at the Regional that the wheels came off at Nats. If they can time they peak right this year and stay healthy, this is a definitely top-20 if not top-15 caliber team.

#17

Notre Dame

Head Coach: Tim Connelly (26th Season)

2012 National Finish- 15th

Key Returners from 2012

Alexa Aragon (Sr., 4:19 1500m, 9:33 Open 3k, 9:56 3k Steeple)
Gabby Gonzales (Jr., 16:48 5k, 33:56 10k)
Kelly Curran (Sr., 4:16 1500m, 9:47 Open 3k)
Dani Aragon (So., 2:06 800m, 4:18 1500m)
Molly Seidel (So., 16:05 5k, Foot Locker Champion '11)
Hannah Eckstein (Jr., D3 All-American XC, Indoor and Outdoor, 16:50 5k)
Meg Ryan (Sr., 9:39 Open 3k, 16:42 5k)

Impact Recruits/Transfers

Taylor Driscoll (Fr., 3 X NXN Nats Finalist: 9th '12, 22nd '11, 35th '10, 10:42 3200m)

Season Preview

The further the countdown goes, the deeper and deeper these teams seem to get. At this point in the countdown, there is no team that has been previewed that is deeper than what Notre Dame has returning for them in 2013. A solid 15th place finish at NCAAs in 2012 is a good starting point for this team in terms of goals for this season and the sky is the limit. Granted they are placed 18th in these rankings, but are very capable of proving that wrong.

Coach Connelly has masterfully developed these girls into outstanding cross country runners who are able to translate their track abilities into high quality harriers out on the course. Five of the seven girls from 2012 return for the Fighting Irish and that does not include some of their young talent Hannah Eckstein or Dani Aragon.

There are so many quality girls on this roster that it is hard to know where to start, but the no. 1 returner from NCAAs and the Great Lakes Region is Kelly Curran. Curran is more proof that 1500m runners can be great cross country runners. Her speed matched with toughness provide a good combination for a low-stick and the no. 1 girl coming back from 2012.

Gabby Gonzales has also been an extremely solid no. 3 for the Irish and should be fine stepping up into the no. 2 or no. 1 slot as the season progresses. Gonzales has the best 10k PR of the group and that should translate into a strong performance in 2013 especially towards the end of the season where endurance and base is so key.

The rest of the athletes listed above are so interchangeable in where they could end up on team and in what they are all capable of doing. Molly Seidel might have the most upside after a very good track season in 2013 where she ran 16:05 for 5k. Seidel was the Foot Locker champion in 2011.

The Aragon sisters (Alexa and Dani), though they run different events on the track, are seemingly pretty equal on the cross country course. Both of these runners are tough racers who at any given race could run out of their minds and be the reason behind an incredible day for the team.

Meg Ryan and Hannah Eckstein are quality pack runners that will provide consistency in their top seven. Having much experience, these two know what it takes to run at a high level.

Taylor Driscoll, the lone key recruit on the team, is quite a catch for Coach Connelly. Driscoll has had incredible success at the high school level. If she can follow in the footsteps of high school phenom Molly Seidel, she will be quite the asset to the Irish down the road.

Although the Great Lakes Region is as tough as ever, these women are as solid as they come and will be ready to make a run at a Regional title in November. With this in mind, Notre Dame should easily earn a trip to the Big Dance and look to improve upon this ranking and last years 15th place finish.