By Ellie Ratliff, Sports Editor
The men’s cross country team is coming off a strong performance in the Bill Libby Invitational as they prepare for the conference race. On Oct. 19, the cowboys finished third overall in a field of thirteen at the ACU cross country course. Leading the team was Tyler Rohrman, who finished second overall in the 8K run with a time of 26:48.
“I felt my performance over the weekend was satisfying. I was grateful to finish first for the ASC and to be nine seconds shy of the 8K school record,” Rohrman said.
While Rohrman led the team’s efforts, the whole team ran well. Also finishing in the 8K and contributing to the team’s great performance were Zach Mitchell, River Smith, Sammy Magallen, Tyler Stout, Marcus Arroyo, Stephen McEndree and Steven Hicks.
“The team overall did great as well. I really believe all the hard work coach has given us since June is starting to come into effect. We also had a lot of guys PR [personal record] over the weekend,” Rohrman said.
The team prepared for the conference championship on Nov. 2 at the ACU course. Rohrman detailed what specifically the team did to get ready for that race. “[As a team] we are working on some pretty fast workouts. Focusing on keeping our muscles at top speed, as we enter the championship season. Individually, I am working on just staying healthy. Seeing the trainers and eating healthy are vital this close to a big race,” Rohrman said.
The men’s team had a close second place finish last year, which is encouraging them as they train for this upcoming ASC championship meet. “Last year we finished second by four points. We all know the seriousness of the meet and I believe we are all focused and on the same page,” Rohrman said.
After the conference meet, the men’s cross country team has the NCAA South/Southwest regional meet on Nov. 9 in Memphis, Tenn. “I'm hoping [that] a couple of our guys can grab all-regional honors and the team can have its best regional placing in school history,” Rohrman said.