SAN ANTONIO — The UTSA cross country teams will open the season on Saturday, Oct. 17, when they travel to Abilene to run in the Naimadu Classic.
The Roadrunners will compete against host Abilene Christian and Texas State in the first of two fall meets on the ledger.
The men's 8,000-meter race is slated to start at 9:45 a.m. and the women's 6k will begin at 10:30 a.m.
UTSA will send 10 men to race against the Wildcats and Bobcats in the season opener. Veterans Omar Bekdache, JD Corona, Matthew David, Joshua Gonzalez, Zack Kovar, Jake Smith and Harrison Wade will be joined by newcomers Luke Lawhorn, Michael Paredes and Idol Ramon.
Wade enjoyed a strong finish to his debut season last fall. The Sydney, Australia, native covered 8,000 meters in 24:43.6 to earn a 15th-place finish at the 2019 Conference USA Championship before clocking a 32:37.8 for a 10k to place 84th at the NCAA South Central Regional last November.
Meanwhile, the women's lineup will consist of 11 runners, including returnees Abby Balli, Amber Boyd, Briana Gonzalez, Brooke Lomax, Marissa Martinez, Zoie Reyna and Sofia Salinas, along with freshmen Julissa Farias, Karina Fernandez, Joy Ojeda and Carolina Ortiz.
Boyd and Gonzalez paced the women with top-50 finishes at the 2019 C-USA Championship. Boyd, a senior from Copperas Cove, clocked an 18:55.0 and Gonzalez, a junior from San Antonio was right behind her in 48th with a time of 18:58.0.
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