The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA Championships
Longhorns close successful cross country season at NCAA's
11.21.2015 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Men, Women both finish 31st
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky – Texas closed out a successful 2015 cross country season for both the men and women on Saturday at the NCAA Championships. The Longhorns qualified both teams for the championship for the first time since 2012 to head into next year with a head of momentum.
The Longhorn men and women each finished in 31st place at the NCAA Championships on the course at E.P. 'Tom' Sawyer State Park in Louisville.
Coach Brad Herbster was disappointed in how his team closed the 2015 campaign but knows the future is bright for Texas Cross Country and the distance program on the track with a roster full of young talent.
"Today we did not accomplish what we set out to accomplish. We are young, but now we must cross over from being young to being good," Herbster said. "Jacob Pickle had a nice improvement over last year as an individual and people had an opportunity to compete at a high-powered meet. Only three of the 14 people racing today have ever been at this NCAA Cross Country meet."
Senior Connor Ward was the top finisher for the Texas women, crossing the line in 192nd place with a time of 21:32.4. Hannah Grubb was not too far behind, finishing 199th and clocking 21:37.3. Sandie Raines was on the heels of Grubb in 201st. Freshmen Alex Cruz and Meghan Lloyd crossed in 211th and 215th, respectively. Kaleigh Ervin finished 235th for Texas and Mary Beth Hamilton was 244th.
On the men's side Jacob Pickle crossed first for the Longhorns in 106th with a time of 31:00.6 over the 10,000 meters. The lone men's senior, Brady Turnbull, was next across for Texas in 197th place. Freshman Alex Rogers finished in 226th place for the Longhorns with sophomore Connor Hendrickson right behind in 228th. Nate Moore crossed 244th for Texas followed by Eric Kroon in 248th and Chris Pietraszkiewicz in 251st.
The New Mexico women won the team title with a score of just 49 points with a dominating win by 80 points. Syracuse claimed the men's crown with a total of 82 points, holding off defending champion Colorado by nine points. Individual champions were Molly Seidel of Notre Dame and Oregon's Edward Cheserek.
After getting both the men's and women's teams to the NCAA Championships, Herbster said he is excited for the future of the Longhorns with wealth of talent in this year's recruiting class joining the returning Longhorns next year.
"With the recruiting class coming in next year for both the men and women it should change a lot of things for the program," Herbster said. "However, we also have the people in place more than capable to step up and contribute in a big way."
NCAA Championships Team Standings
Women Top 10 – plus Texas
1: New Mexico – 49 pts
2: Colorado – 129 pts
3: Oregon – 214 pts
4: Providence – 231 pts
5: NC State – 264 pts
6: Michigan – 264 pts
7: Oklahoma State – 274 pts
8: Notre Dame – 276 pts
9: Arkansas – 276 pts
10: Washington – 297 pts
31: Texas – 828 pts
Men Top 10 – plus Texas
1: Syracuse – 82 pts
2: Colorado – 91 pts
3: Stanford – 151 pts
4: Oregon – 183 pts
5: Iona – 231 pts
6: Arkansas – 244 pts
7: Louisville – 331 pts
8: Washington – 345 pts
9: Michigan – 348 pts
10: Georgetown – 352 pts
31: Texas – 833 pts
Texas Results
Women
192: Connor Ward, 21:32.8, 154 pts
199: Hannah Grubb, 21:37.3, 161 pts
201: Sandie Raines, 21:39.4, 163 pts
211: Alex Cruz, 21:47.0, 173 pts
215: Meghan Lloyd, 21:51.4, 177 pts
235: Kaleigh Ervin, 22:14.5, (197 pts)
244: Mary Beth Hamilton, 22:31.2, (206 pts)
Men
106: Jacob Pickle, 31:00.6, 84 pts
197: Brady Turnbull, 31:57.3, 162 pts
226: Alex Rogers, 32:30.6, 189 pts
228: Connor Hendrickson, 32:33.1, 191 pts
244: Nate Moore, 33:10.4, 207 pts
248: Eric Kroon, 34:14.3, (211 pts)
251: Chris Pietraszkiewicz, 34:41.2 (214 pts)
Players Mentioned
