Southland Conference Championship
Sam Houston secures 7th, 8th at XC Championships
10/30/2015 1:31:00 PM | Cross Country, Cross Country
The Sam Houston State men secured seventh behind 198 points while the women captured eighth at 194 points from the Southland Conference Cross Country Championships, hosted by the Bearkats at the Country Campus Course on Friday.
The men were paced by freshman Jeffrey Moore, who took 24th with a mark of 26:03.8 in the 8,000-meter run, his best time in the race this season. The result continued a strong season for the Carrollton product who also posted a pair of top-10 finishes.
“In the past two weeks, I have been working to get healthy,” Moore said. “I was taking my time in practice and working on the small things like form and staying hydrated. I wanted to get better as the year went by.”
Meanwhile, junior Olivia Olguin took 25th at 22:56.3 in the 6,000 meters, among the field of 84. The Arlington native earned a pair of top 10-finishes and took four top-25 marks in five races.
“The course was really nice,” Olguin said. “It was mostly flat, wasn't muddy and was well marked. I think we did the best we could, especially with the change. I am proud of the team. When we knew there was a change, we knew we had to be ready for it.”
For the third straight season, the Lamar men took the top spot, doing so behind 27 points and individual medalist Iliass Aouani's time of 24:24.6. The Cardinals were followed closely by Stephen F. Austin's 29 points and McNeese State's 79.
On the women's side, Abilene Christian secured its first cross country title with 43 points. The Wildcats were led by Alexandria Hackett's runaway time of 20:26.6. Stephen F. Austin came in second at 52 points while Lamar rounded out the top three with 84 points.
Sam Houston's Evan Arambula took 37th at 26:20.7, followed closely behind by Grant Buley's 26:24.6 in 39th and Alex Hernandez's 26:29.1 in 41st. Colton Stoker took 68th with a time of 28:10.6, J.T. Bounds earned 74th (28:49.0) and Joe Sosa grabbed 85th (29:56.1).
Nicole Aponte took 32nd at 23:17.4, followed by Hannah Tarrant in 37th (23:21.0) and Brianna McCall in 50th at 23:54.0. Aliza Duenes went 52nd (53:56.1) and Meaghen Seales finished 75th (26:39.6).
The event marked the fourth time (1989, 1997, 2003) the Bearkats have hosted the event. For more on the program, follow @SHSU_TFXC on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
The 2015 NCAA Cross Country South Regional will be held Friday, Nov. 13, at the Dale Watts Cross Country Course in College Station. For those individuals who qualify, the 2015 NCAA Championships will be held Nov. 21, in Louisville, Kentucky.
Players Mentioned
