University of California, Santa Cruz

Armando Siqueiros (1981, 1982)

A native of nearby Watsonville, Siqueiros transferred to UC Santa Cruz in 1981 and became a one-man show for the nascent athletic program. He was back-to-back West Region Champion in 1981 and 1982. At Nationals, he finished 8th in 1981 and 11th in 1982 to earn All America honors both years, and still has several of the program's top times. UC Santa Cruz's Cross Country team's annual Male MVP Award is named after him. After graduation, he won the 1984 Wharf-to-Wharf 5.8 mile race in Capitola, famously running bare-chested when he couldn't find his racing bib. Siqueiros remains the last Santa Cruz county runner to win the men's overall title. He currently is a coach and physician in San Luis Obispo.

 

Eric Jackson (2023)

Hailing from Belmont, Jackson finished one of the most successful UC Santa Cruz careers by earning All American status at the 2023 NCAA Championships in Newville, Pennsylvania. After hovering in the back for part of the race, he surged in the last 800m to overtake four runners and finish 40th to earn All American. It was the perfect way to top off a senior year that included Jackson's third-consecutive Coast-To-Coast Conference championship and setting the school 8K record.