The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA South Central Cross Country Regional
11.14.2014 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns post five all-region performances
Results: Women | Men
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – A total of five top 15 finishes for the Texas Longhorns on Friday helped carry the men's cross country team through the NCAA South Central Regional and on to the NCAA Championship meet for a sixth straight year.
Senior Craig Lutz led the way for Texas as he finished second, running side-by-side with Arkansas' Stanley Kebenei through much of the race. The closely packed group of Mark Pinales, Eduardo Rodriguez, Jacob Pickle and Will Nation gave the Longhorns five performers on the all-region team.
"Having five in the top 15 pushing the pace off of Lutz's performance was key. When you look back at the season and look back at making nationals, it's not an easy task," said Coach Brad Herbster. "You only have 31 teams make nationals. So to come out here today and throw down a good performance, is really important because now we move on to one of the 31 teams and let's see what we can do at nationals."
The women's team closed its season with a solid performance from its top two runners. Katie Ruhala finished 19th and Sandie Raines crossed the finish line in 25th to give Texas two members on the all-region team.
Ruhala and Raines helped guide the team to a seventh-place finish but Ruhala said she saw good things from the women's team in cool temperatures to continue growing the program and laying a foundation with such a young team.
"The weather was supposed to be really cold, and it turned out to be a little bit warmer than we thought. I thought we all went out and raced our hearts out, and that's all that matters," Ruhala said. "We fell short a little bit as a team, but I think we really pulled it together from the beginning of the season. I know we're all a little disappointed, but I think in the years to come, we're not losing anyone, and I think there are good things to come. I think it really sets it up for a good foundation."
Arkansas swept the regional winning the men's and women's competitions. Baylor's women finished second to grab the other automatic spot at the NCAA Championships.
The men's scoring was tight with the Razorbacks posting 42 points. Texas was close behind with only 51 points. The race came down to Arkansas' No. 5 runner finishing 21st. Arkansas' women scored 29 points to pull away from Baylor's 82 points.
With only 31 teams advancing to the NCAA Championships next week in Terre Haute, Indiana, and just 13 at-large bids available, finishing in the top two at the regional meets is at a premium.
Lutz said he was pleased with how he and his teammates ran to rebound from a lackluster showing at the Big 12 Conference Championships and to set the tone for the championship meet.
"It was huge for me to finish the race, turn around and see my guys fighting to the end. It's been a long time coming where we can look at the guys coming in and tell we did what we needed to do," Lutz said. "Today we finally brought our spread time down. The time between two and five was quick. Finally on one day we had everybody race well. What that means is when we walk out onto the nation meet course, if we run like we did today, we can do a lot better than what we've been doing and what we've been predicted to do for the whole year."
The NCAA Championships are set for November 22 in Terre Haute. Last year the Texas men finished 14th with Lutz and Ryan Dohner earning All-America honors.
NCAA South Central Regional
Men's Top 10 Scores
1: Arkansas, 42
2: Texas, 51
3: Lamar, 106
4: North Texas, 134
5: Stephen F. Austin, 164
6: Texas-Arlington, 166
7: Texas A&M, 177
8: McNeese State, 298
9: Central Arkansas, 300
10: Rice, 310
Women's Top 10 Scores
1: Arkansas, 29
2: Baylor, 82
3: SMU, 113
4: Lamar, 140
5: Rice, 147
6: Texas A&M, 176
7: Texas, 190
8: North Texas, 217
9: Stephen F. Austin, 224
10: Arkansas State, 249
Texas Individual Results
Men – 10k
2: Craig Lutz, 29:13.7
10: Mark Pinales, 30:02.4
11: Eduardo Rodriguez, 30:09.3
13: Jacob Pickle, 30:15.2
15: Will Nation, 30:16.4
36: Brady Turnbull, 30:47.2
39: Connor Hendrickson, 30:57.8
Women – 6k
19: Katie Ruhala, 20:56.9
25: Sandie Raines, 21:12.5
38: Katie Burford, 21:34.5
55: Connor Ward, 21:50.0
58: Mary Beth Hamilton, 21:58.8
68: Samantha Young, 22:11.8
76: Alaina Perez, 22:27.0
