The Texas A&M men’s and women’s cross country teams are set for another season this fall as they look to build on their 2016 success.
In 2016, the men won two of their five regular season meets and finished in the top three in the other three. The women won one meet in their four regular season competitions and finished in the top five in the other three.
Unfortunately, the men placed seventh in the SEC, while the women placed eleventh, sending both teams to the NCAA South Central Regional, where the men placed fourth and the women placed seventh, thus putting an end to the 206 season.
A runner to watch for on the men’s side is senior Christian Farris. Farris led the Aggie men at the SEC Championships, finishing 18th with a time of 24:51.6 and 14th in the NCAA South Central Regional with a time of 30:55.5.
On the women’s side, two runners to watch for are sophomores Ashley Driscoll and Kelsie Warren. Driscoll finished in 38th at the NCAA South Central Regional with a time of 21:47.4, placing her second among the Aggie women.
Warren finished 45th at the SEC Championships with a time of 21:51.4, also placing her second among Aggie women.
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Cross country teams return top runners for 2017 season
In 2017, the Aggies will begin by
hosting the Aggie Opener meet for the
fourth consecutive season on Friday, Sept. 1 at the Watts Cross Country Course.In 2016, both the men’s and women’s teams placed first against Lamar and UTSA at the Aggie opener.
Next, on Sept. 9, the Aggies will travel to Athens, Georgia to take part in the Georgia SEC Preview against other SEC competition that they will compete against again later in the season at the SEC Championships.
On Sept. 23, the Aggies will host the Texas A&M Invitational, in which the men placed first and the women placed fifth in 2016 against Kentucky, LSU, Lamar, and McNeese State.
On Oct. 6, the Aggies will host the Aggie Open, in which the men placed third behind Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston State, and ahead of Louisiana Tech, Prairie View A&M, and Texas Southern and the women placed second behind Stephen F. Austin, while placing ahead of Sam Houston State, Baylor, and others last season.
The last regular season meet the Aggies will compete in is the Crimson Classic, hosted by Alabama. The Crimson Classic will be hosted in Tuscaloosa, Alabama at the Harry Pritchett Running Park.
The SEC Championships will take place Friday, Oct. 27, while the NCAA South Central Regional will take place Friday, Nov. 10. The NCAA Championships will take place Saturday, Nov. 18 if the Aggies advance that far.
By Austin Iske
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RUNNING
FOR
GOLD
Courtesy of Texas A&M Athletics