The men and women’s cross country team contributed to place third in 2019 NCAA South Central Regional meet on Friday in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Kelsie Warren, a senior from College Station, set the pace for the Aggies in the 6,000-meter race, finishing in seventh place with a time of 20:54.2 to earn her spot in the NCAA Championship.
Senior Ashley Driscoll followed in 11th with a time of 21:01.0, securing her place in the championship meet next week.
Warren earned All-Region honors for the second consecutive year after finishing in the top 10, the highest finish of her career.
Driscoll earned All-Region honors for the first time in her collegiate career.
“I thought Kelsie and Ashley did what they have been doing all year,” McRaven said. “In a high stakes competition like this, which is easier said than done so I am incredibly proud of how they kept their cool and executed their races. Now comes the fun stuff, the national meet.”
A&M had 106 points for a third place finish behind Arkansas with 15 points and Texas with 63 points.
On the men’s side, sophomore Eric Casarez waits to hear if he made the qualifying cut, placing ninth in the 10,000-meter race.
“Eric has really stepped in and raced like a veteran this year,” McRaven said. “It looks like his ninth-place finish should give him a great shot at an at-large bid to nationals. He and Jon [Bishop] did a great job of setting the tone for us today.”
Senior Jon Bishop placed 11th, posting a time of 30:30.9 to join Casarez with All-Region honors.
“Four runners earned all-region honors and a couple just missed out,” McRaven said. “To have two athletes, and possibly three, qualify for nationals is a good day. On the other hand, we’re never content with third-place team finishes when the top two are the auto qualifier.”
The men have finished third in this regional meet four times in the past five seasons.
Driscoll and Warren will represent the Aggies in the NCAA Championships at Gibson Park in Terra Huerta, Indiana on Nov. 23.