2007 Men’s Cross-Country Season Review:  Derailed by Injuries
12/4/07

As the Cougar men’s cross-country team entered this season, expectations were through the roof. 

Why wouldn’t they be?  Star runner Juan Mejia, who re-wrote the University’s record books in 2006, was entering his senior season.  Fellow senior Sergio Gonzalez was working extremely hard and looking to bounce back from a sub-par 2006.  Last season’s freshman sensation Mike Crouch was entering his sophomore year.  And new recruit Sean Brosnan was poised to make a huge impact from day one.

It was no surprise, then, that Coach Steve Scott believed this team could finish on the podium at Nationals.  After all, the team placed 9^th last season, and certainly did not run its best race.  With the returning athletes and new talent, Coach Scott’s team was in the best position it had been in years.

But then the injuries started.  First it was Brosnan, who went down for 12 weeks before the season began.  Then it was Crouch, whose season was ended after one race.   For Coach Scott, suddenly the high expectations had been replaced with question marks.

“We entered the season believing that we had a chance to get second place [at Nationals],” commented Scott.  “Then Sean and Mike got hurt, and there were questions about whether we could even make Nationals.”

Luckily for the team, Brosnan would return just in time to give the team a boost at Regionals.  But Crouch would not, which effectively ended any hope of a finish on the podium.  At Nationals, the team ended up matching last year’s ninth place finish.

But despite all the adversity, the year provided plenty of bright spots.  The Cougars improbably claimed the crown at Regionals, despite entering the event ranked behind two of their competing schools.  The win earned Coach Scott another “Region II Coach of the Year” title, and was the high point of the season.

“We compete in such a strong Region,” said Scott.  “Winning Regionals is always a big accomplishment.”

Leading the squad to that win was Juan Mejia.  After his record-setting first season with CSUSM, the senior picked up right where he left off.  He finished in the top-10 in every event he competed in leading up to Nationals, bettering his own school record at Riverside by running 24:15.  He also won the inaugural Cougar Challenge 8k, the first ever cross-country event hosted by CSUSM.

At Regionals, Mejia placed third, spearheading the Cougars’ victory.  But a pulled muscle hampered his training leading up to Nationals, and Mejia finished a disappointing 27^th.  It was an unfair ending to the career of one of the best runners in Cougar cross-country history.

Joining Mejia at the top of most leader boards was Sergio Gonzalez, who went out on top in his final season in Cougar blue.  Following a 2006 year in which he finished outside the team’s top-5 at both Regionals and Nationals, Gonzalez came back with a vengeance in ’07.

“If we gave an award for ‘Comeback Player of the Year,’ it would without a doubt be Sergio,” noted Coach Scott.  “It was outstanding to see him running the best times of his life.”

Gonzalez avoided the injury bug, in part due to the tremendous amount of work he put into training before and during the season, and he got stronger as the year went on.  He finished in the top-15 in each of the team’s four ‘regular season’ races, and placed 5^th at Regionals, running 24:55.  His best time of the season, 24:25 at Riverside, ranks among the best in school history, and would have set the school record has Mejia not done so in the same race.

At Nationals, in his final race for CSUSM, Gonzalez shined.  Despite tough conditions and a difficult course, he ran 25:14, good for 11^th place and All-American status.  Gonzalez’s work ethic and ability to bounce back from a down year will serve as and excellent example for future Cougar runners to follow.

But Gonzalez was not the team’s only All-American.  Sean Brosnan, after missing most of the season with injury, came back just in time for Coach Scott’s squad.  After a good performance at the Cougar Challenge, the senior ran 25:31 at Regionals to finish 12^th. 

“Sean made a tremendous impact,” commented Coach Scott.

Brosnan performed even better at Nationals, running 25:24, good for 19^th place and All-American status.  So although his Cougar career consisted of just three competitions, there’s no question that Sean Brosnan made the most of it.

Also contributing to the Cougar squad were freshmen Alex Guadarama and Patrick Fitzgerald.  Improving as the year went on, both finished in the top-25 at Regionals, and both competed at Nationals.  They’ll play key roles on the team in the coming years.  Junior Tony Guadagnini and senior Leo Elorza contributed as well.

As a group, the Cougar men had the kind of season we’ve come to expect out of Coach Steve Scott’s teams.  The squad finished in the top-10 of each race it competed in during the season, winning the Vanguard Invitational for the fourth time in the last five years, posting the top two finishers at the inaugural Cougar Challenge, and of course winning Regionals.  The Cougars entered Nationals ranked 3^rd in the nation.

Looking towards next year, it will certainly be a new-look Cougar squad.  Gone will be Mejia, Gonzalez, and Brosnan.  The coaching staff is hopeful that Crouch will be back to full strength, but beyond that, Coach Scott is going to be relying heavily on his younger runners to raise their games to new levels.  He’s also looking to bring in new recruits as well. 

So while injuries somewhat derailed the team’s lofty expectations this season, the athletes and coaches all have plenty to be proud of:  another top-10 finish at Nationals, a top-3 national ranking, and great final seasons from the team’s seniors.