After earning All-West Region honors individually last season, junior Paige Hughes and the UC San Diego women's cross country program are ranked ninth in the country, their highest position since 2007. Hughes finished 86th at the Stanford Invitational, helping her squad to a fourth-place showing among non-Division I teams, in her most recent race. “Paige has been a great member of our team,” says head coach Nate Garcia. “Her combination of talent and hard work makes her very dangerous for her opponents. We are proud both of what she has accomplished so far, and what she has left to do. She will be a key part of our championship run this season.” With UCSD hosting the Triton Classic on North Campus coming up this Saturday, Oct. 25 (men's 8K at 9 a.m.; women's 6K at 9:50 a.m.), Hughes shared her thoughts on a few topics.
Q: Your team is now rated ninth in the nation, the highest ranking since 2007, after starting out the campaign unranked. How has the team steadily improved throughout the season?
HUGHES: Our team has steadily improved throughout the season by working together more, both in practice and races. In the first couple of races, many of us just ran for ourselves, and some of us ended up finishing close together anyway. Once we figured that out, we made it a goal to take advantage of the teammates around us, which has helped us improve and strengthened our team dynamic so far this season.
Q: Your team scored the first four runners in 11 seconds at the Stanford Invitational. Does having a teammate nearby make racing easier?
HUGHES: Yes, having a teammate close definitely makes racing easier, because when you're running with someone else, it reminds you that you aren't just running for you, you are running for your entire team. Also, it is easier to work together to keep a pace or keep passing people. You can feed off of the other person's energy, while giving them strength, too.
Q: With four of the top seven runners from the 2013 NCAA West Regionals competing this year, how have you and your team carried that experience from last year into this season?
HUGHES: Last year's regionals was a good experience for the team, but also a learning experience for us, which has helped us create new goals for this season. We didn't quite reach our goals last year, so we want to push even harder this year to achieve the goals we have set for ourselves.
Q: Going into the Triton Classic, your team hasn't raced in four weeks. What are some of the challenges of the long lay-off? How does the team keep its focus when there is no competition for a full month?
HUGHES: One challenge of the long lay-off is that you tend to settle mentally, and feel almost as though you have forgotten how to race. But, continuing workouts and running on our course keeps us focused on what's next. Also, seeing new rankings every week, both regional and national rankings, keeps us extremely focused on our goals for the season and what we want to accomplish.
Q: What is it going to be like when you get to run on your home course at the Triton Classic? Do you approach it as just another race? Does “home-course advantage” exist?
HUGHES: I think it is going to be exciting to see what we can do on our home course. For our course especially, I think there is a home-course advantage, because we have run in the trees enough this season that we know what to expect, whether it is a tight turn or an unexpectedly tough hill. Yes it is another race, but one that we will be well prepared for.
Q: What is your favorite type of workout (intervals, hill repeats, long run, etc.) and why?
HUGHES: My favorite type of workouts are long runs, because, as a 10K-er (10-kilometer runner), I like to be able to find a good pace and stick to it.
Q: Do you have any favorite trails that you like to run?
HUGHES: One of my favorite runs that we do from school is what we call, "Beach Loop." One of the great benefits to going to UCSD is that we can get to the beach and run on the sand. The run also has some of the best views of the ocean from Torrey Pines.
Q: In your bio, it says that your favorite food is pasta. Is that your meal the night before a race? What do you like to eat the day of a race? Also, what kind of pasta is your favorite?
HUGHES: Pasta is usually the meal I have the night before the race, and my favorite pasta is the pesto penne with chicken that my mom makes. What I eat the day of the race really depends on what time the race is, so it can vary from toast to eggs and oatmeal.
Q: As a San Diego native, what are some of the benefits of “staying local” for college?
HUGHES: One benefit is that I have my family to rely on when I get stressed from school and/or running. I can share my family and house if teammates feel homesick or miss their family or dog. Plus I can always do laundry and the pantry is always full!
Previous Triton Q&A Features
Danielle Dahle (Women's Volleyball) October 14, 2014
Tareq Alwafai (Men's Cross Country) September 25, 2014
David Higginson (Men's Water Polo) September 18, 2014
Matthew McClure (Men's Soccer) September 10, 2014
Caitlin Brenton (Women's Volleyball) September 3, 2014
Michelle Yasutake (Women's Soccer) August 25, 2014
2013-14 • 2010-13 • 2004-09
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