Green gets berth in NCAA finals
Junior Bryan Green of the UCLA men’s cross country team
will be traveling to Iowa State University next Monday to compete
at the NCAA Championships.
Green had to be among the top four individuals on teams not
moving onto the national finals from last weekend’s West
Regionals to garner an individual berth. Green finished 10th in
that race, seemingly assuring him of a spot at the NCAAs.
However, when Oregon, the nation’s No. 10 team, was upset
by unranked Cal Poly for third place, its computer ranking went
through the floor. Consequently, the Ducks, who had to get to
Nationals via the at-large process (since the Region’s two
automatic spots went to Stanford and Arizona), weren’t
included in the field of 31.
With neither Oregon nor Cal Poly qualifying, it appeared Green
wouldn’t be going to Iowa. Jason Hartmann and Michael Kasahun
of Oregon, and Avery Blackwell of Cal Poly all came in ahead of
Green, snatching three of the four individual bids. The other went
to Girmay Guangul of Cal.
The NCAA selection committee, though, granted one of its two
national wild-card bids to UCLA’s Green.
“I had the mindset that I wasn’t going to go,”
Green said. “I should’ve beaten the guy from Cal anyway
and I figured that if didn’t go, I didn’t earn
it.”
Green now joins Christina Bowen of the women’s squad as
the only runners representing UCLA at the meet.
Compiled by Dylan Hernandez, Daily Bruin Senior
Staff