Final home run for A&M cross country in NCAA South Central Regional

NCAA Championships qualifying meet set for Friday at Watts Cross Country Course

Olivia Biggs, JOUR 359 contributor

November 14, 2024

Junior Emma Little and senior Maddie Livingston run during Texas A&M’s Arturo Barrios Invitational at Dale Watts ’71 Cross Country Courseon Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Micah Richter/The Battalion)

After both Texas A&M men’s and women’s cross country teams had top-10 finishes at the SEC Championships, the Aggies will host the NCAA South Central Regional meet on Friday at the Watts Cross Country Course in College Station. The women are scheduled for a 9 a.m. start for the 6K, while the men are scheduled for a 10 a.m. start for the 10K.

This time last year at the 2023 NCAA South Central Regionals, the women’s squad qualified for the NCAA Championships for the first time in 23 years with a second-place finish, while Eric Casarez placed eighth to earn an individual bid and to lead the men to a sixth-place overall finish.

The final meet on A&M’s home turf for the 2024 season is the determining factor for the Aggies to advance to the NCAA Championships, which is scheduled for Nov. 23 in Madison, Wisconsin.

Freshman Ondrej Gajdos runs around the curve during Texas A&M’s Arturo Barrios Invitational at Dale Watts ’71 Cross Country Courseon Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Micah Richter)

Running alongside the Aggies Friday will be 39 men’s teams and 40 women’s teams, including Texas programs Abilene Christian, Baylor, Houston Christian, Lamar, Prairie View A&M, Rice, Sam Houston State, SMU, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, TCU, Texas Southern, Texas State, UT-Rio Grande Valley, Houston, North Texas, St. Thomas, UT-Arlington, Texas, UTSA and Incarnate Word. Arkansas and LSU will also represent the SEC.

The women’s team will try to keep its top-10 trend going after a first-place finish at the Cowboy Preview on Aug. 30. It earned second place at the Texas A&M Invitational and continued by earning ninth place at the Arturo Barrios Invitational and securing 10th place at the SEC Championships.

Junior Kennedy Fontenot led the last meet with 40th place at 20 minutes and 11.8 seconds while freshmen Megan Roberts and Maddie Peters followed close behind at 45th and 52nd, respectively. Sophomore Shewaye Johnson and junior Elise Smoot rounded out the scorers.

The Aggie men earned second place at the season-opening Cowboy Preview and an additional second-place finish at the Texas A&M Invitational before taking third place at the Arturo Barrios Invitational and eighth place at the SEC Championships.

Freshman Addie Applebaum races to the finish during Texas A&M’s Arturo Barrios Invitational at Dale Watts ’71 Cross Country Course on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (Photo by Adriano Espinosa)

Freshman Gilbert Rono led the men at the SEC Championships in 30th place with a 23:23.0, followed by sophomores Jack Johnston and Zack Munger at 36th and 43rd, respectively. Rono was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team after his performance. Munger has been a top finisher for the men for four consecutive meets this season, including earning two individual third-place finishes.

Friday’s NCAA qualifier takes place at the Dale Watts Cross Country Course in College Station. Fans are asked to park in the Equine Complex parking lot and make the short walk to the course’s start line.

Follow live stats and find more information on the Cross Country schedule at 12thMan.com.

Olivia Biggs is a journalism junior and contributed this article from the course JOUR 359, Reporting Sports, to The Battalion.

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