Oct. 29, 2016
Results
Results (PDF)
WEST CHESTER, Ohio (SMU/The American) – After a two-year hiatus, the No. 30 SMU cross country team is back atop the conference after winning the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship Saturday morning at the Voice of America MetroPark.
It was a total team effort by the Mustangs who placed six in the top-20. SMU recorded 45 points to edge two-time defending champion Tulsa by two (47). Memphis finished third with 96 points.
The Mustangs picked up their fourth league title in the past six years and sixth in the past nine years. Led by Head Coach
Cathy Casey, SMU earned Coaching Staff of the Year honors garnering her sixth accolade since her arrival to the Hilltop.
SMU had four runners make the all-conference team led by freshman
Hannah Miller runner-up performance. The Invercargill, New Zealand, native was the top Mustangs finisher for the third-consecutive meet finishing the 6-kilometer race in a time of 20 minutes, 23.7 seconds. Her classmate
Charlotte-Tara Murphy was also in the front pack and was the second SMU finisher with a time of 20:44.1 to finish fifth.
Seniors
Holly Archer and
Agnes Sjostrom picked up key points for the Mustangs by placing sixth and 15th, respectively. Archer finished in a time of 20:54.5 to place one spot better than she did a year ago, while Sjostrom had one of her best races of the season to finish in a time of 21:24.7.
Newcomer
Marlene Gomez-Islinger was SMU's fifth finisher after placing 17th in a time of 21:34.3, while sophomore
Anneke Grogan finished in the top-20 with a time of 21:36.4 to place 19th.
Also competing for the Mustangs were sophomore
Rakel Barrientos, senior
Justine Anthony and freshman
Alison Esparza. Barrientos and Anthony placed in the top-30 with Barrientos finishing 21st (21:39.1) and Anthony placing 26th (21:55.7). Esparza finished 38th in a time of 22:21.7.
The Mustangs will get two weeks to prepare for the
NCAA South Central Regional Championship, which takes place Friday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. CT at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Arkansas, hosted by the University of Arkansas.
Team Results
1. SMU (45)
2. Tulsa (47)
3. Memphis (96)
4. UConn (145)
5. UCF (157)
6. Cincinnati (180)
7. Tulane (201)
8. Temple (216)
9. Houston (220)
10. USF (236)
11. East Carolina (241)
All-Conference (Top 15 Finishers) - Women
1. Anne-Marie Blaney, UCF
2. Hannah Miller, SMU
3. Martina Rodriguez Sala, Memphis
4. Chelsea Ladd, Memphis
5. Charlotte-Tara Murphy, SMU
6. Holly Archer, SMU
7. Clara Langley, Tulsa
8. Stacie Taylor, Tulsa
9. Nicole Lee, Tulsa
10. Jessica Taylor, USF
11. Olivia Lopez, Tulsa
12. Adrena Mazzei, Tulsa
13. Juliana Madzia, Cincinnati
14. Kaite Leisher, Temple
15. Agnes Sjostrom, SMU
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Track & Field Team on Twitter at @SMUTrackFieldXC, on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUTrackFieldXC, and on Instagram at Instagram.com/SMUTrackandXC. Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.
