With veteran leadership and rookie talent, the University of Redlands men's and women's cross country teams orchestrated a season of success that included individual milestones and impressive team results throughout the 2019 campaign.  Highlighted by the best men's finish at the conference championships since 1992 and the highest-ever women's finish at regionals, the Bulldogs showed incredible grit, talent, and depth.

The Maroon and Gray opened the season with strong results at the Redlands Invitational, as the women took second in the 4500-meter run and the men finished fourth in the 6k.  Spearheading the women's efforts, sophomore Alexis Wallace (Orangevale, CA) dominated her previous best mark at this race by more than 20 seconds with a quality time of 17:55.4, which placed her fourth in the individual standings.  On the men's side, first-year Rogelio Salcido (Beaumont, CA) and sophomore Miguel Fausto (Whittier, CA) finished the race nearly together by crossing the line in 11th and 12th place near the 20:21-mark.

Following a solid outing at the high-caliber UC Riverside Invitational, a few Bulldogs flew East to the infamous Roy Griak Invitational in Falcon Heights, Minnesota, where they competed well against a plethora of NCAA Division II and III schools and some running clubs.  In the men's 8k, Redlands took 13th out of 28 teams, with junior Tucker Cargile (Denver, CO) pacing the team with an impressive time of 25:42.2 for 10th place out of 309 runners.  The women's team snagged 14th place out of 32 teams in the 6k, as senior Maria Ramirez (Orange, CA) led the way by clocking a 24:00.8 to finish 53rd out of 375 competitors.

After returning home from Minnesota, Redlands cross country took the short drive to compete at the Pomona-Pitzer Invitational on October 14. In a meet that featured five other Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) schools and three Division II schools, the Bulldog men and women each placed third in the team standings.  Cargile continued to shine with a winning effort in the 8k off of a time of 25:24.0. First-year Enrique Verschoor (Mar del Plata, Argentina) followed with a 19^th-place time of 26:19.6.  Beginning with Fausto at the 26:44.8-mark, Redlands saw first-year Brandon Farnsworth (Palos Verdes Estates, CA), Salcido, and junior Quentin Olive-Larson (Fort Collins, CO) each cross the finish line over the next 35 seconds.  For the women, Ramirez remained steady for the Bulldogs by taking fifth in 22:33.3, while sophomore Isabella Glenn (Seattle, WA) crossed the finish line less than a minute later in 13^th (23:20.8).  Additionally, senior Sarah Shipway (Lafayette, CA) and first-year Sheriane Greene (Grass Valley, CA) completed the race in back-to-back fashion, with Greene earning a career-best time of 24:31.7 for 34th.

Two weeks later, the Bulldogs headed back to Riverside to compete at the UCR Highlander Invitational.  For the fourth time in a row, Cargile led the Bulldogs, finishing in 8th place overall out of 234 runners. He stopped the clock in 24:33.5, which reset Redlands' fastest 8k time by nearly 17 seconds.  The previous school standard had remained since 1983.  Furthermore, Verschoor and Salcido each posted career-best, 8k times amongst the vast competition. Verschoor completed the race in 25:24.3, while Salcido crossed the finish line in 26:00.7.  On the women's side, Ramirez served as Redlands' top finisher for 20th place overall. She completed the 6k with an average mile of 5:50.2 and a final time of 21:45.7. The women continued the record-breaking trend, as Glenn and senior Carly Veasy (Camas, WA) ran career-best 6k times of 22:41.4 and 22:59.2, respectively.

With momentum on their side, the Bulldogs headed to the SCIAC Championships in nearby Claremont to close out the regular season. The Redlands men produced their best team finish since 1992 by taking third place in the 8k race, while the women captured fifth in the 6k event.  Cargile remained stalwart for the men with a fourth-place time of 25:21.0 to earn All-SCIAC First-Team honors.  Verschoor landed 25^th with a time of 26:13.5, while three additional Bulldogs completed the course over the next 45 seconds to finish among the race's top 50.  Ramirez led the Bulldog women with a sixth-place showing in 22:38.5 for All-SCIAC First-Team recognition. Veasy and Glenn came one right after the other for 16th and 17th place, respectively, to earn All-Conference Second-Team honors. Veasy recorded a time of 23:16.3, while Glenn finished the race less than a second later in 23:17.1.

Both teams competed in top-tier form as they dazzled at the 2019 NCAA Division III West Region Cross Country Championships in Claremont. The women claimed fourth place for the highest-ever women's finish at Redlands, with 132 points and an average time of 23:29 in the 6k, while the men took the sixth spot with 175 points and an average 8k-time of 26:50.  Ramirez once again served as the Maroon and Gray women's frontrunner, as she produced a fifth-place time of 22:33.4 for All-Region honors. With her stellar finish, Ramirez secured an automatic qualifying bid to nationals.  Glenn ran a 17^th-place time of 23:13.3, while Veasy completed the race just 11 seconds later in 22^nd place. These Bulldogs both substantially improved upon their times from last season's regional appearances and also earned All-Region honors with their top-35 finishes.  On the men's side, Cargile was less than three seconds away from winning the event with his second-place time of 25:14.5 to tie the Redlands record for the highest individual finish at the NCAA Regional Championships, the last being in 1989. Along with Ramirez, he also earned an automatic bid to nationals. Verschoor made his regional debut with a 25th-place time of 26:20.7 to take home his inaugural All-Region nod.

Cargile and Ramirez eagerly headed to Louisville, Kentucky, to represent Redlands at the 2019 NCAA Division III Championships in late November. Despite the slick course at E.P. Tom Sawyer State Park, Cargile posted an 8k-time of 24:51.1 to come in 24th place out of 280 runners. He completed his second trip to nationals nearly a minute faster than last year for the second-fastest 8k time of his career and finished the race just 37.2 seconds behind the leader. With this impressive effort, Cargile secured an All-American nod for the first such honor in Redlands cross country program history.  Ramirez left it all on the 6k course by producing a time of 22:45.9 for 85th place among 280 competitors.  While making her third national appearance, she posted a nearly identical time from last year's NCAA Championships. This season, Ramirez finished less than two minutes behind the champion in the high-caliber event that included the best of the best. 

Beyond his many feats of the season, Cargile received CoSIDA Academic All-District distinction for his success as a student and as an athlete.  His scholarly achievement, impressive cross country results, and numerous accolades from his track & field résumé allowed him to be selected to the 10-person team.

With Head Coach Mike Schmidt at the helm, the Bulldog men's and women's cross country teams put together a memorable season that included the program's first-ever All-American, five All-Region selections, and four All-SCIAC honorees.  In addition, the teams produced multiple best finishes and record-setting performances to complete a quality 2019 campaign.  Although the graduation of key contributors leaves a void, the Bulldogs look forward to what is next in their celebratory story.