Meet Results
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Racing within what is considered the toughest region in all of NCAA Division II, the No. 17 West Texas A&M men's cross country team rolled to a fourth place finish in the NCAA South Central Regional Championship in Denver, Colo. on Saturday morning. With the top-six finish, the Buffs will now advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships for the second-consecutive season. WT would be led by three All-Region performers who crossed the line in the top-25 individually.
The regional was held at Washington Park in Denver, Colo. and was hosted by Metro State University out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The men competed in a 10K race for the first time this season. Only the top-six teams from the region advance to nationals while the top-three individuals from non-qualifying teams and any top-five individual also qualified.
Making it out of the region were No. 1 Adams State (first place, 38 points), No. 3 Colorado Mines (second, 41 points), No. 9 Western State (third, 71 points), No. 17 WT (fourth, 123 points), Colorado-Colorado Spring (fifth, 185 points), and Colorado Mesa (sixth, 191 points).
The Buffs were led by three United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches' Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region performers (top-25 individually) in freshman Geoffrey Kipchumba (16th, 32:55), senior Brett Villarreal (19th, 33:10), and senior Armando Rueda (22nd, 33:22). Also scoring for the Buffs were sophomore Steve Lagat (26th, 33:28) and junior Zach Daniel (40th, 34:02). Senior Baptiste Moreu and junior Cameron Gifford would also run for the Buffs Saturday, placing 41st and 50th, respectively.
Two weeks ago, Flowers earned Coach of the Year honors for the third-consecutive season after leading the Buffs to their second-straight LSC Championship on Nov. 8 at Hawk Ridge Golf Course in Wichita Falls, Texas. WT dominated on the men's side with a total of 28 points.
The NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships will occur on Saturday, Dec. 6, at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. It will also feature a 6K for the women and a 10K for the men. The races will be hosted by Bellarmine University with support from the Louisville Sports Commission and the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau.
Thomas Toth will be the first Aggie runner since 2009 to advance to the NCAA National Championships after a ninth place finish in the South Central Regional on Saturday. The Aggies would place 13th overall in the 20 team field.
Toth ran the season high 10,000 meter race in 32:26 and was first of three individuals on a non-advancing team to earn a berth to nationals in two weeks. Alec Baldwin from Black Hills State was tenth overall, and Christian Gering of Fort Lewis finshed in 15th to take the other individual slot out of the regional. By finishing in the top-25, Toth also earned All-United States Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association South Central Region honors.
Michaela Johnson and Emma Love of the 21st ranked West Texas A&M women's cross country team qualified individually for nationals with their performances in Saturday morning's NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championship in Denver, Colo. They raced to 10th and 12th place individual finishes, respectively, leading the Lady Buffs to an eighth place team finish.
The SCR Championship, the toughest regional in the country, was held at Washington Park in Denver, Colo. and was hosted by Metro State University out of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC). The women competed in a 6K race. Only the top-six teams from the region advance to nationals while the top-three individuals from non-qualifying teams and any top-five individual also qualified.
As a team the Lady Buffs placed eighth with a score of 221 points. Qualifying out of the region were No. 2 Adams State (first, 21 points), No. 6 Western State (second, 99 points), Colorado Mines (third, 112 points), Metro State (fourth, 149 points), No. 11 Colorado-Colorado Springs (fifth, 152 points), and Colorado Mesa (sixth, 163 points).
Johnson led the way for WT in 10th place with a time of 23:03. She was followed by LSC individual champion Love who finished in 12th at 23:04. Freshman Lauren Laisure would also finish in the top-25 to earn United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region honors as she crossed the line with a time of 23:46. Also scoring for the Lady Buffs were freshman Caitlyn Cecchini (90th, 82 points) and senior Rhemecka Graham (101st, 93 points). Freshman Gillian Law would place 123rd in the race.
Eastern New Mexico's Amber Saiz and Midwestern State's Gabriela Ruiz finished 19th and 22nd, respectively, to earn All-Region distinction as well.
Johnson and Love will return to action for WT at the NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships, which will occur on Saturday, Dec. 6, at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Ky. It will also feature a 6K for the women and a 10K for the men. The races will be hosted by Bellarmine University with support from the Louisville Sports Commission and the Louisville Convention and Visitors Bureau.