Sophomore Brian Barraza led the Cougars Friday at the NCAA South Central Regionals with a fourth place finish as the men’s and women’s cross country teams finished 11th and 17th, respectively.
Barraza finished fourth in the 10K race with a time of 29:41.5, making him the first Cougar to qualify for the NCAA Championship since 2011. Barraza was also named to the 2014 NCAA All-South Central Region team.
“Brian put together an amazing race,” said head coach Steve Magness in a release. “To get fourth in the region as a sophomore puts him in contention to challenge for All-American honors. This is a very big deal for our program.”
Barraza will travel to Indiana on Nov. 23 to compete in the NCAA Championship and is one of the 36 Division 1 runners who will be competing as an individual in the event. The sophomore looks to improve on his time of 25:02.0 that landed Barraza in 47th in an 8K that he ran at the same track in Indiana State’s Pre-National meet.