California Baptist University
NCAA Cross-Country Championships
XC Preview: Men's Cross-Country Preps for Second Straight Nationals Appearance
11/21/2024 11:50:00 AM | Cross Country & Track
MADISON, WI--- The California Baptist University men's cross-country team is set to compete at the 2024 Cross-Country National Championships this Saturday after earning an at-large bid.
The men enter Nationals ranked #19 in the country in the NCAA poll and finished fourth at West Regionals last weekend. This will be the second trip to the big dance for the men's team after placing 16th in Charlotteville, Virginia, last year. CBU is seeking its first-ever male cross-country All-American and will have several strong candidates to achieve that.
Valentin Soca was CBU's top finisher at West Regional, earning a podium finish at 29:09.1, and is one of the few runners who experienced Nationals a year ago. Zouhair Redouane has been an exceptional freshman for the Lancers this season and earned All-Region honors last Friday in Colfax, Washington. Redouane was named the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and was CBU's top placer in the majority of the races this season. Redouane finished 10th at Pre-Nationals in mid-October and 6th at the Joe Piane Invite as well to highlight his fantastic true freshman campaign. Portland transfer Daniel Abdala has also been a budding star for the Lancers, earning All-Region honors in Colfax. Abdala helped the men win its 5th straight WAC title this season with a 5th place finish and has consistently been the third runner for this deep men's team.
First-year Head Coach Sean Smith will lead his men's squad this Saturday at the Thomas Zimmerman Course in Madison, Wisconsin, with the men's 10K set to begin at 8:10 AM PT.
Players Mentioned
