COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Junior Andruw Villa finished seventh at the 2026 NCAA South Central Regional Championships, and classmate Meryeme Mai finished 22nd to earn USTFCCCA All-Region honors on Friday at the Watts Cross Country Course. The men finished 13th with 379 points, while the women placed 23rd with 563.
Villa clocked 29:35.1 in the 10k, advancing him to the 2026 NCAA National Championships as one of the first four regional finishers not from an automatic qualifying or at-large team. The full list of competitors will be revealed via the selection show on Saturday, Nov. 14, on NCAA.com at 4 p.m. CT. The championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21, in Terre Haute, Indiana, at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course.
Behind Villa, sophomore Ethan Carranza placed 75th in 32:02.0, and freshman Zac Mangum clocked in at 32:19.7 for 85th place. Sophomore Austin Lyda finished 100th in 32:48.4, and newcomer Thomas Tamayo was 121st in 33:35.8. Classmate Murff McLaughlin placed 121st in 34:20.8, and freshman Matthew Cato finished 129th in 35:37.5.
Mai’s 20:10.6 in the 6k earned her the all-region accolade, thanks to a top 25 finish. Freshman Kira Albino followed in 99th with a time of 21:48.2, and classmate Cadence Harris was 141st in 22:51.1. Fellow newcomer Ana Garza crossed the tape in 22:54.9 for 145th, with freshman Isabella Burke 156th in 23:50.4 and classmate Haley Hill 159th in 24:11.2. Rounding things out, freshman Alexia Rosas was 161st with a time of 24:19.6
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