The Cougars had a big showing at the American Championships Friday morning in Tulsa, Okla. as the men’s team finished in third and the women’s in sixth.
The men’s team was led by sophomore Brian Barraza as he finished the 8K run just 10 seconds behind the leader, landing him in fourth place individually with a time of 24:53.
Freshman Ebony White kept the women’s team in top spot contention through the 6K run in her first conference meet, finishing with a time of 21:43 to give her an individual finish of 16th place.
The Cougars were strong overall on both teams as the men had three top-15 finishers, including Barraza, with freshman Blake Contreras (25:40, 11th) and junior James Broussard (25:50, 15th). The women’s team improved four spots overall from their showing in last year’s inaugural AAC Championship as their sixth place finish was also influenced with junior Selena Sierra’s 21st place finish with a time of 21:57.
The Cougars are set to travel to Fayetteville, Ark. on Nov. 14 to compete in the NCAA South Central Regional. Top-15 finishes from both the men’s (11th) and women’s (15th) teams in the 2013 South Central Regional are promising signs for the Cougars heading into the event.