Friday, March 4
Riverside, Calif.
6:45 PM
California Baptist University
at
Riverside City College Invite
Photo by: Andrew Shortall
TRACK PREVIEW: CBU Looks To Carry Preseason Momentum Into 2022 Campaign
2/25/2022 3:45:00 PM | Cross Country & Track
RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University track is eager and ready to open the 2022 season, as evidenced by preseason workouts. The Lancers are coming off their finest NCAA Division I campaign in 2021 and another championship run during the cross country season.
If preseason workouts are any indicator, there's lots of reason for optimism in 2022 said Coach Adam Tribble.
"I'm really excited, more so than in the four years I have been here about the group that we have, the mojo they have, the way they've been working together and the progress they're making," Tribble said. "They're just approaching things in such a good way and working so well together."
CBU is slated to run in five regular-season meets leading up to the Western Athletic Conference Championships. It begins Friday, March 4 at the Riverside City College Invite. The Lancers will stay in California in the regular season, with trips to Cal State Fullerton's Ben Brown Invitational (March 11-12), the Sound Running College Invite in Irvine (April 1-2), Mt. SAC Relays (April 13-15) and Fresno State Invite (April 29).
The WAC Championships will be held by Seattle U in Washington on May 12-14. California Baptist will look to improve on its fifth-place finishes on the men's (61) and women's side (60) a year ago when it won three individual titles and produced 17 all-conference finishers (nine first team, eight second team), all of which we program bests in the WAC era.
There's plenty of reason for optimism that CBU will continue to improve in 2022. The Lancers will look to produce personal-best times and achieve team success along the way at the WAC Championships.
"We have aspirations of improving our team performance, we want to finish as high as we can at the WAC Championships. At the same time, we want people to achieve their own individual goals to run faster and have fun in the process," Tribble said.
To help in the process, the Lancers return three former WAC champions and 10 all-conference finishers from 2021.
Ivo Balabanov and Giedrius Valincius will look to defend their WAC titles in the 10,000 meter and 3,000-meter steeplechase from 2021. Florian Le Pallec finished runner-up in both the 1500 and 5K a season ago, while Arturs Medveds was an all-conference second teamer with a fourth-place run in the steeple last year.
All four were regular scorers for the CBU this fall in cross country, including at the WAC Championships. They highlight a deep group of Lancers on the men's side.
"I think we have an army of guys that are making tremendous progress. It's an army of 14 that's flowing well together, it's hard to even separate anybody out because there's so many of them," Tribble said.
On the women's side, Greta Karinauskaite is the team's most decorated returner and a two-time WAC Freshman of the Year in cross country. The Lithuania native has never finished outside of third place at a conference meet, including second-place runs in the steeplechase and 5K last season and top-three finishes at the WAC Cross Country Meet (second in 2021, third in 2020).
Anneken Viljoen earned all-conference honors in the 800 and 1500 meters, with second and sixth-place finishes, in 2021. Anna Mate also had two All-WAC runs last season in the 5 and 10Ks. Karin Gosek and Emilia Mikszuta were both WAC Second-Teamers in the steeplechase last year, as well.
Emilie Renaud, who is headed into her final season as a Lancer, won the 2019 WAC title in the steeplechase.
"With the ladies, we have a core group up front that's really, really making good progress but the second group back continues making good progress, too," Tribble said.
The cross country season also showed several new names to watch out for this season. For the women, Yasna Petrova and Liza Hazuchova will look to build on their strong debuts from cross country. Petrova and Hazuchova scored for the Lancers in all five events they ran in this fall and took fifth and seventh place at the WAC meet, respectively.
Tribble praised both Petrova and Viljoen as two individuals who have pushed themselves this offseason.
"They've really done some crazy stuff of the last month and a half, they've gone to a whole new level," Tribble said. "They've really, really transformed themselves into something special."
Said Mechaal, a true freshman, had the finest cross country season of any newcomer. He scored in the last three meets he ran this fall, including a fifth-place mark at the WAC Championships.
The mixture of returners and newcomers and their work ethics has Tribble excited for what's to come this spring.
"The thing we really see right now is their mojo and energy and cohesion when it comes to the work makes things so much easier," Tribble said. "Granted, we are going to have some off days, not every day is as good as the day before. Once things really get going, you'll have some aches and pains and have some things that don't go your way, but I am really, really pleased with how the team is going about things."
If preseason workouts are any indicator, there's lots of reason for optimism in 2022 said Coach Adam Tribble.
"I'm really excited, more so than in the four years I have been here about the group that we have, the mojo they have, the way they've been working together and the progress they're making," Tribble said. "They're just approaching things in such a good way and working so well together."
Never miss a chance to get better 😤 #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/rr4XZrV0Ja
— CBU XC & Track (@CBUXCTF) February 18, 2022
CBU is slated to run in five regular-season meets leading up to the Western Athletic Conference Championships. It begins Friday, March 4 at the Riverside City College Invite. The Lancers will stay in California in the regular season, with trips to Cal State Fullerton's Ben Brown Invitational (March 11-12), the Sound Running College Invite in Irvine (April 1-2), Mt. SAC Relays (April 13-15) and Fresno State Invite (April 29).
The WAC Championships will be held by Seattle U in Washington on May 12-14. California Baptist will look to improve on its fifth-place finishes on the men's (61) and women's side (60) a year ago when it won three individual titles and produced 17 all-conference finishers (nine first team, eight second team), all of which we program bests in the WAC era.
There's plenty of reason for optimism that CBU will continue to improve in 2022. The Lancers will look to produce personal-best times and achieve team success along the way at the WAC Championships.
"We have aspirations of improving our team performance, we want to finish as high as we can at the WAC Championships. At the same time, we want people to achieve their own individual goals to run faster and have fun in the process," Tribble said.
To help in the process, the Lancers return three former WAC champions and 10 all-conference finishers from 2021.
The team's building up for a big track season — 2x5k for the men, 5x1600 for the ladies.
— CBU XC & Track (@CBUXCTF) January 22, 2022
Getting better week by week 💪 #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/jEZ7GRlzAt
Ivo Balabanov and Giedrius Valincius will look to defend their WAC titles in the 10,000 meter and 3,000-meter steeplechase from 2021. Florian Le Pallec finished runner-up in both the 1500 and 5K a season ago, while Arturs Medveds was an all-conference second teamer with a fourth-place run in the steeple last year.
All four were regular scorers for the CBU this fall in cross country, including at the WAC Championships. They highlight a deep group of Lancers on the men's side.
"I think we have an army of guys that are making tremendous progress. It's an army of 14 that's flowing well together, it's hard to even separate anybody out because there's so many of them," Tribble said.
On the women's side, Greta Karinauskaite is the team's most decorated returner and a two-time WAC Freshman of the Year in cross country. The Lithuania native has never finished outside of third place at a conference meet, including second-place runs in the steeplechase and 5K last season and top-three finishes at the WAC Cross Country Meet (second in 2021, third in 2020).
Anneken Viljoen earned all-conference honors in the 800 and 1500 meters, with second and sixth-place finishes, in 2021. Anna Mate also had two All-WAC runs last season in the 5 and 10Ks. Karin Gosek and Emilia Mikszuta were both WAC Second-Teamers in the steeplechase last year, as well.
Emilie Renaud, who is headed into her final season as a Lancer, won the 2019 WAC title in the steeplechase.
"With the ladies, we have a core group up front that's really, really making good progress but the second group back continues making good progress, too," Tribble said.
Back on track #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/7c8ed32t5l
— CBU XC & Track (@CBUXCTF) January 18, 2022
The cross country season also showed several new names to watch out for this season. For the women, Yasna Petrova and Liza Hazuchova will look to build on their strong debuts from cross country. Petrova and Hazuchova scored for the Lancers in all five events they ran in this fall and took fifth and seventh place at the WAC meet, respectively.
Tribble praised both Petrova and Viljoen as two individuals who have pushed themselves this offseason.
"They've really done some crazy stuff of the last month and a half, they've gone to a whole new level," Tribble said. "They've really, really transformed themselves into something special."
Said Mechaal, a true freshman, had the finest cross country season of any newcomer. He scored in the last three meets he ran this fall, including a fifth-place mark at the WAC Championships.
The mixture of returners and newcomers and their work ethics has Tribble excited for what's to come this spring.
"The thing we really see right now is their mojo and energy and cohesion when it comes to the work makes things so much easier," Tribble said. "Granted, we are going to have some off days, not every day is as good as the day before. Once things really get going, you'll have some aches and pains and have some things that don't go your way, but I am really, really pleased with how the team is going about things."
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