Southland Cross Country Championships Come to Nacogdoches
Southland Conference
2016 Southland Cross Country Championship Central
FRISCO, Texas
– Pecan Acres Park in Nacogdoches, Texas near the campus of Stephen F. Austin will play host to the Southland Conference Cross Country Championship races on Friday, Oct. 28. The men’s 8-kilometer race is scheduled for an 8:30 a.m. start with the women’s 6-kilometer race following at 9:30 a.m. The conference awards ceremony will take place immediately after the conclusion of the women’s race.
Five Southland men’s teams enter championship weekend ranked in the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Men's South Central Region poll. Lamar leads the way at No. 6, followed by Stephen F. Austin at No. 7, A&M-Corpus Christi at No. 8, then McNeese at No. 10 and Central Arkansas ranked No. 15.
Lamar men are looking to win their fourth-straight team championship – their 10th in the last 11 seasons. A team win on Friday would be the Cardinals’ 15
th total, the most in Southland history. Following the departure of 2015 Athlete of the Year Iliass Aouani, Lamar has remained a force in the conference, also returning with 2015 Coach of the Year Tony Houchin. They have been notably led this season by senior Sean Chalmers and junior Freddie Gasbarri who have both anchored four strong team finishes for the Cardinals this regular season.
Stephen F. Austin men were runners-up in 2015 by a narrow two-point margin behind Lamar, and will look for strong performances from their veterans on their home course to challenge Lamar. Senior Charles Mathenge, a two-time NCAA qualifier and last year’s second-place finisher, will be looking for his third-straight trip to the national championship. Senior Josh Torres is another notable returner for the Lumberjacks, last year’s 28
th-place finisher.
A&M-Corpus Christi posted impressive team races of their own this season, finishing second out of 14 at the Rice Invitational on Sept. 9, fifth out of 17 at the Texas A&M Invitational on Sept. 24 and first-place out of six at the UIW Invitational on Oct. 8 to cap the regular season. The Islanders will also look to their seniors for strong races in Vinnie Van de Puyde and Fabian Lutz, two of last year’s top 20 finishers.
On the women’s side, three teams are ranked in the most recent South Central regional poll, with Stephen F. Austin at No. 6, Lamar at No. 14 and A&M-Corpus Christi ranked No. 15 entering championship weekend.
Abilene Christian enters as defending champions. However, with the team’s top four returning scorers from last year’s championship race opting for redshirt status this season, there are no clear favorites and no team has had a dominant hold on the conference title over the past five seasons. Lamar will look to return to their winning ways, having won back-to-back conference titles in 2013 and 2014, with a third-place team finish in 2015.
Stephen F. Austin, the current all-time Southland leader with seven team championships, finished as the runner-up in 2015. The Ladyjacks’ depth has been on display this fall, with multiple athletes from their large roster running impressive regular season races. Top returners from last year’s championship include redshirt junior Courtney High, who took fifth place in 2015, and juniors Taylor Anderson, Brittany Innis and Rana Rayan, who finished 14
th, 15
th and 16
th, respectively.
The 2015 NCAA Cross Country South Central Regional will be hosted by the University of Arkansas on Friday, Nov. 11 at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Ark. For the teams and individuals that qualify, the NCAA Championship will be hosted by Indiana State on Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Wabash Valley Family Sports Center in Terre Haute, Ind.
Both Southland championship races will be streamed on Facebook Live via
the Southland Conference page. Assistant Commissioner for Television/Electronic Media Chris Mycoskie will provide stride-by-stride coverage from around the course, with the broadcast beginning on race day at 8:30 a.m. Central.