GEORGETOWN, TEXAS- Both Men's and Women's Cross Country teams participated in the SCAC Cross Country Championships hosted by Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, TX. Temperatures were low and rain was falling for both races, which made for a slippery and muddy event.
The men's race started at 9:00 am and Xavier Wines led the Pirates with a 17th place finish in a time of 27:22, which is 5:30 pace. Not far behind was Emilio Salas, who finished in the 18th and 20th. Nearly a minute back, Dominic Mashak and Cade Rosenquist crossed the finish line in 23rd and 24th positions. Brian Armijo, 25th, and Angel Velazquez, 31st, rounded out the Pirate's top seven. Ultimately, the Pirates would finish in fourth place overall.
The women's race started at 10:00 am and Breanna Steele led the Pirates with a 17th place finish in a time of 25:27, which is 6:50 pace. Rachel Chiella earned 26th position and Jordan Hollub fought her way to 28th. Closing in on the 29 minute mark, Ana Morales and Casey Gilbert finished 29th and 30th. Sarah Rothe, 33rd and Emily Chaires, 36th completed the Pirate's top seven and the Pirates finished fifth overall.
"We didn't achieve everything I thought we could have today or put our best performance out on the course. But it wasn't due to a lack of effort. These men and women always finish on empty, run with heart and guts, and give everything for each other and the team every single race. That's not something I can coach, it's a choice they make because they love to run, love to compete, and love this team. 9 times out of 10, when they race like that they are rewarded with PRs and beating other teams, but today just wasn't one of those days unfortunately. On days like today, I take a lot of responsibility for not having them prepared as well as I should have, whether in training, mentality, race strategy, or whatever. Fortunately, we have another opportunity at the regional race in a couple weeks to refocus and show how far we've come," recapped head coach, Joe Sponsel.
Colorado College won both the men's and women's teams and individual races.
The Pirates will travel to Riverside, CA for the NCAA West Regional event on Nov 11, 2023.
Full Results can be found HERE.