The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Big 12 Cross Country Championships
Cross Country preview: Big 12 Championships
10.31.2013 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Texas Cross Country heads to Waco for the annual Big 12 league meet on Saturday, Nov. 2.
Meet Info
What: Big 12 Championships
When: Saturday, Nov. 2, 2013
Race Time: Men's 8K – 10 a.m. Central; Women's 6K – 11 a.m.
Venue: Cottonwood Creek Golf Course
Meet Website: Click here.
Texas Cross Country enters the championships portion of the 2013 season when it travels to Waco for the annual Big 12 Championships on Saturday, Nov. 2. The men's 8,000-meter and women's 6,000m races will be contested at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. (Central), respectively.
The top men's and women's teams are crowned league champions, while the top 15 individuals in each race earn All-Big 12 honors. The top newcomer in each race will earn Newcomer of the Year accolades.
In the latest NCAA Division I national rankings, the Big 12 landed three men's squads in the top 30. Oklahoma State claims the third slot in the nation. No. 27 Oklahoma is next, followed by No. 29 Texas. Iowa State represents the Big 12 women at No. 8 in the poll. On the men's side, seven of the top 10 finishers from last year are slated to compete, including Texas' Ryan Dohner and Craig Lutz. Highlighting the women's field, fellow Longhorn Marielle Hall returns after placing sixth in last year's championship.
Who's Running …
Running Saturday for the Texas men will be Dohner, Lutz, Chris Galvin, Nate Moore, Will Nation, Mark Pinales, Eduardo Rodriguez, Austin Roth, Collin Smith and Brady Turnbull. Competing for the Longhorn women in addition to Hall will be Katie Burford, Kaleigh Ervin, Brittany Marches, Marissa Lee, Alaina Perez, Katie Ruhala, Rachel St. Martin, Megan Siebert and Connor Ward.
Last Time Out …
Texas last competed at the fifth-annual Wisconsin adidas Invitational on Oct. 19 in Madison. Hall, a 2012 All-American, tallied the Longhorns' top performance of the day with a third-place finish out of 288 runners in the women's 6,000m race with a personal-best time of 19:46. Fellow All-American Lutz led the way for the Longhorns on the men's side, crossing the 8,000m finish line 14th overall in a field of 287 with a time of 23:36.
UT opened the season at the Baylor Bear Invitational in Waco on Aug. 30, where the men placed second and the women third. Both the men and women went on to sweep the Ricardo Romo Invitational in San Antonio on Sept. 20 before taking home titles at the Texas Invitational in Round Rock on Sept. 27.
Last Year at Big 12s …
Last year, Texas hosted the Big 12 Championships for the first time since 2003. The men placed second for their highest finish since placing second in 2006 and were led by a pack of All-Big 12 runners in Dohner (sixth), Lutz (ninth), Rory Tunningley (10th) and Patrick McGregor (13th). The women notched third as a team with two runners in the top 10 in Sara Sutherland (third) and Hall (sixth). Sutherland's result was the highest finish by a Longhorn at the conference meet since 1998 and it was the first time Texas had two runners finish top-10 at Big 12s since 2003. Siebert also earned All-Big 12 honors in 15th.
Up Next …
The Longhorns return to Waco and Cottonwood Creek Golf Course for the NCAA South Central Regional on Friday, Nov. 15. The top two teams on both the men's and women's side will advance automatically to the NCAA Championship on Nov. 23.