SAN ANTONIO ? The UTSA men’s and women’s cross country teams will compete in the Southland Conference Championships held this Saturday, Oct. 27, at West Guth Park in Corpus Christi, marking the first time a league championship has been hosted by Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The men’s 8k is set to begin at 8 a.m., followed by the women’s 6k slated for 8:45 a.m.
The men are looking to improve upon last year’s seventh-place finish in Nacogdoches. The Roadrunners have not finished higher than seventh since a fourth-place showing in 2002 and last won a team title in 1997, the final of three consecutive championships. Ryan Taylor also won the last individual title by a UTSA runner that year, while David Hartman won the other in 1995.
Second-year coach Scott Slade leads a young squad that features two seniors, a sophomore and five freshmen. UTSA has posted a pair of top-three finishes this fall, highlighted by a victory at the Ricardo Romo/Six Flags Fiesta Texas Classic on Sept. 21. Freshman Brandon Chiuminetta has been the top finisher in three meets, including a fourth-place performance at the Romo Classic. Seniors Larry Brooks and Eric Miller, sophomore Corey Vargas and freshmen Josh Bart, Zach Legg, Raul Toscano and Dominick Zucconi will join Chiuminetta on the course Saturday.
The women finished fifth last year and are seeking to extend a streak of consecutive top-five finishes to four. Since 1999, UTSA has placed in the top five seven times, including a runner-up finish in 1999. The Roadrunners won team titles in 1991, 92, 93, 95 and 96, setting conference records for lowest team total (21) and widest winning margin (50) in 1996. Three individuals have captured league crowns: Joanne Kineard (1991), Liza Marie Hunter (1992) and Stacy Poole (1996).
A solid one-two punch in the form of sophomores Faith Barlow and Dana Mecke leads this year’s team under the direction of first-year coach Katie Kelley, who finished a career-best 11th in 2001 as a Roadrunner. Mecke, who also is playing volleyball this fall, has been the top finisher four times, winning the Romo Classic on Sept. 21 and earning SLC Athlete of the Week honors after placing fourth at the Incarnate Word Invitational on Oct. 6. Barlow has turned in four top-15 finishes, highlighted by a third-place effort at the Romo Classic. Sophomore Katy Spence and freshmen Adalit Casanova, Liana Garcia, Baylee Holder and Jayde James will join Barlow and Mecke in this weekend’s race.
Lamar swept both team titles last season, while both individual champions ? Clerc Koenck (Lamar) and Shadrack Songok (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) ? are back to defend their crowns. For meet information and results, please click here.
