Matadors’ 3-4 Punch Finish 1-2

There is a cross-country adage that says a team is only as good as its fifth runner.

But it was the performances by the Nos. 3 and 4 runners on Cal State Northridge’s men’s team that proved decisive Saturday in a season-opening meet at UC Santa Barbara.

Northridge junior Oswaldo Servin won the race in a time of 25 minutes 7 seconds and sophomore teammate John Greene ran second in 25:19 over the 8,000-meter course (about fives miles), yet the Matadors finished third with 53 points.

The Gauchos placed five runners among the top 14 finishers on their home course to total 41 points, with Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at 44 and Westmont at 90.

With freshman--and projected fifth man--Jesse Barragan sidelined by a quadriceps injury, Northridge Coach Don Strametz needed a big effort from senior Jeff Nasternak to win.

He got that as the 800-meter track specialist placed 22nd in 26:44. He didn’t plan on sub-par performances from sophomore Javier Ramirez and freshman Will Bernaldo, however.

The former Nordhoff High teammates were expected to give Northridge a tightly bunched front four with Servin and Greene, but Ramirez placed 12th in 26:14 and Bernaldo was 20th in 26:42.

Bernaldo, second in the 3,200 meters in the State track championships in June, led for the first half-mile before fading.

“We were hoping to run as a pack for the first few miles,” Strametz said. “We wanted to let someone else lead until [the second half of the race,] but when Will went out like that, there went the plan.”

Servin, a transfer from Cal State Stanislaus, was apologetic about his victory.

“I should have held back, but that’s hard to do on this course because it’s so flat and fast,” he said. “But our plan was to run as a team for the first part of the race and I didn’t do that.”

Northridge finished fourth in the women’s meet, paced by runner-up Jamie Whitmore.

Whitmore, a junior, clocked 18:12 but San Luis Obispo took five of the top nine places to total 26 points. Westmont was second with 59, followed by Santa Barbara with 69 and Northridge with 70.

The Matadors began the race without injured junior Andrea Bruins and freshman Tara Marsden was knocked down before the one-mile mark while running in sixth place. She finished 15th in 19:38.

Freshman Shana Driscoll placed 11th in 19:28 and sophomore Ellen Muench was 18th in 19:49 for Northridge.