On the mark

After months of practice meets and long practice hours, the UTRGV Men’s and Women’s Cross-Country teams showcased their hard work and preparation at the Western Athletic Conference Championships meet at the Jefferson Golf Course in Seattle, Wash.

The men’s second-place finish surpassed the expectations set by the WAC Cross-Country Coaches’ Poll, which placed them in third.

Senior Omer Almog posted UTRGV’s highest finish in the 8k with a time of 24:08.00, earning second place. Behind Almog came freshman Abraham Chirchir with a third-place finish and a time of 24:21.40.

Aside from a second-place finish, the Vaqueros received three individual awards. Almog and Chirchir were named to the list of First Team All-WAC runners.

Chirchir received the biggest award of the day as he was named Freshman of the Year.

Trailing behind Chirchir were junior Ricardo Mendoza, freshman Tristan Peña and senior Brian Yañez, who finished 17th (25:04.2), 22nd (25:07.9) and 29th (25:15.2), respectively.

Sophomore Juan Manzano finished 32nd (25:26.5); senior Alexandre Moret, 41st (25:37.9); senior Mathew Peynado, 42nd (25:41); and, sophomore Jose Serna, 51st (26:09.9).

The top five finishers for the Vaqueros earned the team 72 points, placing UTRGV in second place, right behind the 2018 WAC Champions Utah Valley University with 30 points.

Head Coach Darren Flowers said the team had a great performance.

“I thought the men really ran phenomenal,” Flowers said. “I had some guys step up and some freshmen step up and so it was a really fun day.” 

On the women’s side, freshman Mercy Chelangat led the team with a fourth-place finish and a time of 20:59.6, qualifying her for the First Team All-WAC.

Also among the top 50 runners were senior Jennifer Zapata, who was awarded Second Team All-WAC, and junior Bryana Rios, freshman Dorcas Koech, junior Alma Villanueva and freshman Anahi Romo, who finished 14th (21:27), 29th (22:04.3), 35th (22:11.7), 42nd (22:25.8) and 46th (22:40.4), respectively. 

The final three runners for the team were freshman Monica Rivera, who finished 53rd (23:16.8); senior Thalia Polanco, 54th (23:19.6); and, junior Sierra Spinler, 58th (23:51.9).

Chelangat, Zapata, Rios, Koech and Villanueva earned the team 120 points, giving UTRGV a fifth-place finish right behind 2018 WAC Champions California Baptist University (33), Utah Valley University (61), University of Missouri-Kansas City (89) and New Mexico State University (95). 

Flowers said he was content with the team’s performance.

“I feel that our women ran well,” he said. “We’re just a couple of legs short before we have kind of a complete team.”

Both UTRGV teams have advanced to the NCAA South Central Regional Meet. The women will run at 9:15 a.m. and the men’s race begins 10:15 a.m. Friday at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Coach Flowers said his primary goal for the NCAA meet is to see his athletes do their best.

“I, of course, would love to advance to NCAA Championship or get a couple individuals out,” he said. “That would be incredible, but, I mean, more than anything, I want to see our kids do their best to execute the race that we have set in place.

“What’s our plan? How do we go out and execute that? If we can go out and give great effort, execute that plan and we can walk away with our heads held high. Regardless of the outcome, I am going to be a happy man. So, the results will be what they are going to be, but we are not going to focus on that. We are going to focus on putting our best effort out there on that day.”

High standards are in play for both teams as the men’s team is ranked third and the women’s team seventh in the South Central Region by the United States Track & Field and Cross-Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

UTRGV men are ranked behind Arkansas State University and the University of Texas at Austin. The women are behind Arkansas State University, the University of Texas at Austin, Southern Methodist University, Rice University, Texas A&M University and Louisiana State University.

The teams that finish in the top two spots and the first four finishers in the race (excluding the runners associated with the top two teams) will advance to the NCAA Championships starting at 10:45 a.m. with the women, followed by the men’s race at 11:45 a.m. Nov. 17 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis.