SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State cross country team begins their 2018 season this Saturday when they compete in the annual Mark Covert Classic (5K) at Carbon Canyon Regional Park in Brea, Calif.
This year's squad features 13 freshmen, giving the Aztecs a whole new look. Sophomore Mackenzie Mora and Renee Philips are the only returners who raced in at least five competitions last year.
"It is a really unusual situation to have that many new girls," Head Coach Robert Lusitana explained. "It is a good opportunity for them to set the tone and establish a winning culture and all the traditions that go along with it."
The team spent the past week training at Mammoth Lakes, giving the Aztecs a chance to run at elevation and to bond as a team.
"I decided to that make this a great program, which is my goal and the girls' goal, we need to do whatever other programs do, which is train at altitude in the preseason," Lusitana said. "The girls really enjoyed it, they worked hard and I think they got a lot out of it. They are all new and they are all the top girls from their high school so they have to come in and meld as a team. This next month will be interesting to see how they jell and start working together. "
The field of teams is the largest it has ever been at the Mark Covert Classic, with nearly 700 entries. That list includes Arizona State, Cal Poly, CSUN, Long Beach State, Loyola Marymount, Pepperdine, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara and others.
Last year there were only four DI schools participating with the Aztecs taking third to edge out the University of San Diego.
"I want to see them run together as a team," Lusitana stated. "I want them to be competitive and worry more about beating girls on the other team than where their position is on our team. That's our goal for this weekend."
XC Looks to Hit the Ground Running in First Meet
