The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Aggie Opener
Cross Country opens season Friday at A&M
08.31.2017 | Track & Field / Cross Country
Longhorns take on regional teams to open 2017 campaign
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Cross Country begins its season on Friday night at the Aggie Opener in College Station. The Longhorns will face off against Texas A&M and six other schools from the Dale Watts Cross Country Course with the women set to race at 6:45 p.m. and the men to follow at 7. Live results of the races will be provided by FlashResults.com.
The women will run a 4.1K race to start the season with the men running a 6K to shake the rust off and get 2017 started.
Texas Coach Brad Herbster said he will be resting some of his key veterans this week while testing out some younger runners as the team builds toward making a push during the championship portion of the season.
"We're taking a handful of younger athletes to this meet but surprisingly I think a lot of the kids racing this weekend you might see racing later on this season," Herbster said. "They've done a lot of work over the summer. This is a great opportunity for these younger kids to establish themselves for later in the season. We've got a great group."
Herbster also said he has been in communication with A&M's coaching staff and conditions on the course are expected to be fine after a significant amount of rain fell in the College Station area as a result of Hurricane Harvey.
The Longhorns enter the 2017 season with the men ranked No. 30 in the USTFCCCA Coaches Preseason Poll. The women are receiving one vote in the poll as both teams are looking for a trip to the NCAA Championships in November.
Last year, the men finished 30th at the NCAA Championships and return a handful of key runners from that squad while adding two freshman who ran and placed high at the Nike Cross Nationals. One track and field media outlet, FloTrack ranked freshman Sam Worley as the No. 21 cross country runner in the NCAA heading into the season.
Junior Alex Rogers is a two-time all-region performer for the Longhorns and looks to provide leadership for the team. Connor Hendrickson was the team's top finisher at the NCAA Championships last year and also was an all-region runner two years ago as a freshman. Hendrickson also finished 15th at the Big 12 Championship last year to earn all-conference.
"This is by far the deepest team we've had on the men's side since I've been here but also a very talented team with Alex Rogers leading the way and then you have Sam Worley a highly-touted recruit," Herbster said. "They've looked really good in practice. I think this is a group that's really special and we can do some things that the team hasn't done before."
On the women's side, Texas returns all-region performers Destiny Collins, Mary Beth Hamitlon and Meghan Lloyd to the mix. Incoming freshmen include Abigail Brudnick and Lauren Edwards. Brudnick finished 55th at the UIL 6A State Championship last fall, and Edwards was runner-up at the 5A State Championship. Her time ranked seventh among all classifications.
After running on Friday, the Longhorns will have a week off to prepare for their home meet set for September 14. The Texas Invitational will be held at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock and also will be the site for this year's Big 12 Conference Championship in October.
Players Mentioned
