The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
NCAA South Central Regional
Cross Country preview: South Central Regionals
11.14.2019 | Track & Field / Cross Country
The Longhorns look to qualify for the NCAA Championships on Friday in Fayetteville.
Date/Place: Friday, Nov. 15, 2019 in Fayetteville, Arkansas
Course: University of Arkansas Agri Park. For parking directions, click here.
Course Diagram and Length: Women's race: 6k. Men's race: 10k
Time: Women's race: 11 a.m. (Box 12). Men's race: 12 p.m. (Box 18). All times CT
Women's Teams by South Central Region Rankings: 1. Arkansas, 2. Texas, 3. Texas A&M, 4. Rice, 5. Arkansas State, 6. Central Arkansas, 7. Stephen F. Austin, 8. Baylor, 9. Houston, 10. Texas A&M-CC, 11. Abilene Christian, 12. Texas State, 13. Incarnate Word, 14. UT-Arlington, 15. LSU, UALR, Lamar, McNeese, New Orleans, Nicholls, North Texas, SMU, Tulane, UL-Monroe, UTRGV.
Men's Teams by South Central Region Rankings: 1. Texas, 2. Arkansas, 3. Texas A&M, 4. Lamar, 5. Rice, 6. Arkansas State, 7. UT-Arlington, 8. Houston, 9. UTRGV, 10. LSU, 11. North Texas, 12. Texas A&M-CC. 13. Texas State, 14. Abilene Christian, 15. McNeese, UALR, Baylor, Grambling, Incarnate Word, New Orleans, Nicholls, Sam Houston State, Southeastern Louisiana, Stephen F. Austin, Texas Southern, Tulane, UL-Monroe, UTSA.
Live Streaming: FloTrack ($)
Results: Flash Results and www.TexasSports.com
Race Website: NCAA South Central Regional
AUSTIN, Texas – The University of Texas Men's and Women's Cross Country teams will compete in the NCAA South Central Regional on Friday at the Agri Park course in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Longhorn women will answer the starter's gun for a 6k race at 11 a.m., followed by the men's 10k race that will begin at noon.
The South Central Regional is one of nine NCAA Regional Championship meets that will occur on Friday. A first- or second-place finish in each regional contest will qualify a team for a berth in the NCAA Championship on Nov. 23 in Terre Haute, Indiana.
In addition, the first four individual finishers in each regional meet, those who are not members of the championship or runner-up team, will qualify to run in the National Championship meet. The remaining 13 at-large teams and two additional individuals will be selected by the NCAA DI Cross Country Subcommittee.
"Qualifying for NCAA's is our goal for Friday," Texas men's distance coach Pete Watson said. "We have a healthy and fit group and we need to focus on this week to make sure we are on the starting line in Terra Haute in two weeks."
The Longhorns are ranked No. 29 in the Men's USTFCCCA National Rankings, and the women are receiving votes in the latest poll. The UT men are the top-ranked team in the South Central Region, while the women are ranked second, behind national-No. 1 Arkansas. Additionally, Texas' Men's Cross Country squad is ranked No. 18 in FloTrack's national rankings.
For each of the last ten years, the UT men have qualified for an automatic berth to the NCAA Championships by placing first or second in the South Central Regional. During the same time period, the Texas women have automatically qualified for nationals six times by winning either the regional championship or runner-up trophy.
"Our goal is to finish in the top two this weekend, so that we can, again, punch our ticket to national," Texas women's distance coach PattiSue Plumer said. "Nothing else matters at this meet, and we are excited to race again."
The Longhorns began the championship phase of their cross country season on Nov. 2, when the women finished second and the men took third place in the Big 12 Championships in Waco, Texas. A total of seven Longhorns earned All-Big 12 honors by finishing in the top 15 of their respective race.
Kathryn Gillespie (4th), Claudine Blancaflor (5th), Destiny Collins (6th) and Beth Ramos (15th) comprised the all-conference quartet for the UT women, while Sam Worley (4th), John Rice (7th), and Haftu Knight (13th) made up the men's trio.
Players Mentioned
