Sept. 12, 2017
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After two weeks off from competition, the SMU cross country team returns to action to compete at the Gerald Richey Invitational Saturday at 8 a.m. in Grand Prairie, Texas.
The Mustangs will face a field of all Texas teams in a 5-kilometer race that will be held at Lynn Creek Park. SMU has won the meet the past six years.
Last year, SMU finished with 15 points at this meet, followed by runner-up Georgia State with 74 and UT Arlington with 96 to place third overall.
Charlotte-Tara Murphy was SMU's top-finisher after winning the event in a time of 17 minutes, 23.7 seconds to help the Mustangs claim the team title.
SMU opened the season ranked fifth in the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) South Central Regional Coaches' Poll, and moved up two spots in latest poll after their performance at the Bear Twilight Invitational on Sept. 1. SMU placed five in the top-15 with four Mustangs setting personal records. Murphy finished eighth (13:44.5) and
Marlene Gomez-Islinger placed ninth (13:46.5), while running the two fastest times in the 4 kilometers (2.49 miles) in school history.
The Mustangs return eight letterwinners from last season's conference championship team. SMU is led by sophomore duo Murphy and
Hannah Miller, who each garnered all-conference and all-region honors last season.
MUSTANGS ALL-TIME TOP 4K TIMES
MUSTANGS ALL-TIME TOP 5K TIMES
| Rank |
Name |
Year |
Time |
| 1. |
Silje Fjortoft |
2011 |
16:07.0 |
| 2. |
Agnes Sjostrom |
2014 |
16:17.7 |
| 3. |
Silje Fjortoft |
2008 |
16:46.0 |
| 4. |
Shanoah Souza |
2014 |
16:47.4 |
| 5. |
Mary Alenbratt |
2012 |
16:53.0 |
| 6. |
Holly Archer |
2014 |
16:53.3 |
| 7. |
Ashlee Powers |
2012 |
17:03.9 |
| 8. |
Mary Alenbratt |
2010 |
17:07.0 |
| 9. |
Melanie Stemper |
2013 |
17:09.7 |
| 10. |
Hannah Miller |
2016 |
17:10.3 |
MUSTANGS ALL-TIME TOP 6K TIMES
| Rank |
Name |
Year |
Time |
| 1. |
Silje Fjortoft |
2011 |
19:58.1 |
| 2. |
Agnes Sjostrom |
2014 |
20:11.0 |
| 3. |
Shanoah Souza |
2015 |
20:20.7 |
| 4. |
Karin van Rooyen |
2002 |
20:22.0 |
| 5. |
Tova Magnusson |
2013 |
20:23.2 |
| 6. |
Hannah Miller |
2016 |
20:23.7 |
| 7. |
Karin van Rooyen |
2002 |
20:32.6 |
| 8. |
Karoline Skatteboe |
2015 |
20:36.5 |
| 9. |
Emily Field |
2002 |
20:37.0 |
| 10. |
Melanie Stemper |
2013 |
20:43.9 |
LAST TIME AT THE GERALD RICHEY INVITATIONAL (SEPT. 8, 2016)
Charlotte-Tara Murphy was SMU's top-finisher after winning the Gerald Richey Invitational at Lynn Creek Park. SMU dominated the 5 kilometer race to take the team title with five Mustangs finishing in the top six, led by Murphy's time of 17 minutes, 23.7 seconds. SMU finished with 15 points, followed by runner-up Georgia State with 74 and host UT Arlington with 96 to place third overall.
Holly Archer,
Rakel Barrientos,
Anneke Grogan and
Justine Anthony all turned in top six performances for SMU. Archer finished third with a time of 17:56.0, Barrientos crossed the finish line fourth in a personal-best time of 18:06.4, while Grogan placed fifth (18:24.9) and Anthony recorded a personal-best time of 18:27.9 to finish sixth.
Alison Esparza,
Marlene Gomez-Islinger and
Agnes Sjostrom also competed well for SMU. Esparza placed ninth (18:34.6), while Gomez-Islinger (18:46.3) and Sjostrom (18:48.5) finished 10th and 11th, respectively.
LAST TIME OUT AS A TEAM – BEAR TWILIGHT INVITATIONAL (SEPT. 1, 2017)
Charlotte-Tara Murphy was one of four Mustangs to set a personal record in the 4K at the Bear Twilight Invitational at the Heart of Soccer Complex. For the second straight year, Murphy was SMU's top finisher at the Bear Twilight as she placed eighth overall with a time of 13 minutes, 44.5 seconds.
Marlene Gomez-Islinger was not far behind Murphy as she placed ninth with a personal best time of 13:46.5.
Tess Misgen finished 13th in a time of 14:09.5 in her first career meet on the Hilltop, followed by
Anneke Grogan personal best time of 14:13.5 to place 14th.
Rakel Barrientos crossed the finish line shortly after Grogan to finish 15th with a time of 14:16.2.
Alison Esparza also set a personal best with a time of 14:33.2 to finish 22nd overall.
MUSTANGS IN THE USTFCCCA REGIONAL POLL
The SMU cross country team moved up two spots from fifth to third in the latest USTFCCCA South Central Regional Coaches' Poll. SMU is the highest ranking American Athletic Conference team in its respective regional rankings with Tulane, Temple and Tulsa all ranked 10th in the South Central, Mid-Atlantic and Midwest, respectively.
M&M
Hannah Miller is the top returning Mustang after a freshman campaign last season that culminated with a trip to the NCAA Championship. The Invercargill, New Zealand, native was the first SMU representative at the NCAA Championship since
Agnes Sjostrom competed in the meet in 2014. Miller was the team's top finisher in the last five meets of the season, including a fourth-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional. At the conference championship, Miller earned runner-up honors to help propel the Mustangs to their fourth league title in the past six years and sixth in the last nine years. Murphy was one of SMU's top finishers a year ago in her first season on the Hilltop as she placed in the top-20 in five of the six meets she competed in.
Charlotte-Tara Murphy was the Mustangs top finisher in the first two meets of the year, including a win at the Gerald Richey Invitational (5K) in a personal best time of 17:23.8. Murphy finished last season with a fifth-place showing at the conference championship and 19th place finish at the regional.
IN CASE(Y) YOU DIDN'T KNOW
Cathy Casey has been the head of the Mustangs' cross country program since 2005 and has played a pivotal role in the programs swift rise to national prominence. She has led the Mustangs to four league titles in the past six years and six in the last nine years. During each of the championship seasons, she earned Coach of the Year honors. Last season, SMU won the conference title after placing six in the top-20 to record 45 points and edge two-time defending champion Tulsa by two points (47).
HILLTOP BACK ON TOP
The SMU cross country team won the American Athletic Conference Championship at the Voice of America MetroPark last season. The Mustangs placed six in the top-20. SMU recorded 45 points to edge two-time defending champion Tulsa by two points (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. SMU had four runners make the all-conference team, led by freshman
Hannah Miller's 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. Recent graduates
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 in 2015, while Sjostrom had one of her best races of the season to finish in a time of 21:24.7.
UP NEXT
SMU gears up for the postseason with its first out-of-state meet in Virginia for the Virginia/Panorama Invitational Saturday, Sept. 23. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. CT at the Panorama Farms in Earlysville, Virginia.
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.
