SAN ANTONIO — Conference championship season is here, as UTSA will race in the Conference USA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, Oct. 30, at Frank Liske Park in Concord, N.C.
The men's 8K race is scheduled for 8 a.m. CT followed by the women's 6K one hour later.
The Roadrunners will compete against host Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana Tech, Marshall, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Rice, Southern Miss (women only), UAB (women only), UTEP and WKU.
In their last outing two weeks ago at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station, the UTSA women finished 22nd behind Maddie Boswell, who placed fifth among collegiate runners in the 6k with a time of 20:46.3. Jake Smith led the men to 25th by clocking an 8k time of 24:58.5 for 75th.
Boswell also was the top Roadrunner at the Texas A&M Invitational on Sept. 25, as the Texas transfer finished sixth in the 5k in 17:54.2. Abby Balli was close behind in 14th (18:25.5) to help lead UTSA to fourth place in the team standings.
Meanwhile, Smith has been the men's top finisher in his last five meets, including in all three this season. The Yuma, Ariz., native was 39th in the Texas A&M Invitational 8k in 25:11.7 and 19th at the season-opening UIW Twilight with a 6k time of 19:32.2.
Smith and Balli were the top performers for the Roadrunners at last year's C-USA Championships. Smith crossed in 30th place with an 8k time of 25:46.53 to lead the men to ninth place, while Balli, a Pasadena native, was 43rd in the 6k in 23:25.15 to pace the women to 12th.
The UTSA men have captured eight conference titles, starting with five straight in the Trans America Athletic Conference in 1986-90, their first five years of league competition. The Roadrunners also collected three consecutive Southland Conference crowns in 1995-97, with current cross country coach David Hartman claiming the individual title in 1995. Five others have won individual championships, the last by Ryan Taylor in 1997 during Hartman's first tenure as coach.
The UTSA women have won six conference crowns, including the 2013 C-USA Championship in their first year in the league. The Roadrunners also claimed five Southland titles during a six-year stretch from 1991 to 1996. UTSA has earned four individual championships on the women's side, the last by Dana Mecke at the 2008 Southland meet.
-UTSA-
