A RARE CROSS COUNTRY SWEEP

Awesome start to the season for the Aggies! Thanks for the updates.

It was beautiful weather out there this morning! The course had some gradual hills but was flat for the most part. The biggest thing was that the ground was so dry and the footing wasn't great because of the lack of rain. But big performances from both sides! Maddie is a beast and will be a great leader for this team! Also something that stood out to me in the men's race is that Chung and the rest of the guys stayed patient after a TCU guy took a big lead early on. Can't wait to see the rest of the season!

I got banned, but had to make a new account to keep talking Aggie Sports with my friends on these boards! I'll have my cross country preview up later tonight!

Why in the wide wide world of sports did you get banned?!?!

Wow taylorswift13 was one of my favorite posters and that girl or guy would post everywhere supporting almost every Aggie sport! Can't believe they would ban her or him! They alone got me interested in Aggie Track!

Texas A&M Cross Country Meet Preview

Live Results: https://flashresults.com/2024_Meets/xc/TAMUinvite/index.htm
Meet: Texas A&M Invitational
Where: AGGIELAND
When: Friday
Distance: Men: 8k, Women: 5k
Time: Men - 8:00 Women - 8:45
School's Attending: ACU, Baylor, Dallas Baptist, Oklahoma Baptist, Oklahoma City, TEXAS A&M, Tarleton, Tamu Commerce, TCU, UT Tyler, Houston, North Texas, UT Arlington, lots of high schools lol


Home at last! We traditionally begin the season at home in a smaller meet like this one but we started off the season this year on the road at TCU, where we had much success, sweeping the team titles in DOMINATING FASHION! And that was without some of our top men not racing! Chung led our men to victory with a HUGE 5K Pr! He ran a 14:50 when his last PR was a 15:27 to open up last season! If that doesn't show you the work he's put in, then idk what will! Chung is an elite runner and here to remind us headbands are in style! We had a plethora of PR's on the men's side and had a fabulous showing from the freshman! On the women's side it was our new star Maddie Livingston stealing the show with a 39 second PR in her 5k to run a 17:10 followed by star transfer from DBU Madison Brown who ran 17:16! Both crazy fast times followed by strong sophomore Kennady Fontenot and fabulous freshman Shewaye Johnson!

But saddle on up Ags because we're going up in distance Friday! The women will run a 5k which is less than the conference, regional, and national distance for the women while the men run the 8k which is conference distance but not the 10k ran at regionals and nationals! Not much change for the women but a noticeable difference in the men!

On the women's side I'm excited first and foremost to see how our freshman do, especially Shewaye! She ran a crazy strong 5k of 17:26 last time out! Megan Roberts and Maddie Jones will be other freshman running, both College Station High alum! We also have some freshman running unattached, Jamie Confer, Kristen McHugh, Avery Perkins, and Addison Applebaum! I'm also excited to see Maddie Livingston continue her excellent showing! She had a STRONG track season setting PR's almost weekly and now she's here to lead this cross country team! Madison Brown is an elite distance runner and will show out well over the course! Watching her and Livingston will be fun and they should both be at the top! We have a strong group of second years behind her led by Kennady Fontenot who ran extremely well last time! She was a key runner for us last year and her role on the team has increased along with her performance! Emma Little tan great as well and I'm excited to see Amanda Hogan and Carson Parker too! Still no sign of Gemma Goddard I hope she's okay!

Saving the best for last, and it's a season debut for our leader Eric Casarez! And his last first race as an Aggie! God willing he actually runs and the heat sheets aren't lying to us lol! But there's only a limited amount of times he has running on this course so us as fans need to get out there and watch him as much as we can! So get out there and support Eric! It's also the season debut for Chandon Chhikara another one of our veterans who forms the strong trio of Casarez, Chung, and Chhikara! Last time Casarez stepped on a course he missed out on nationals after a strong season where he was as deserving as anyone and a shoe in to qualify! He had a MONSTER year in track and he just seems to keep improving year after year! I expect a monster season and a monster race from him Friday! Expect to see him and only him roaring down the home stretch as he annihilates the field on Friday! But close behind him will be Chung and Chhikara!

Now the question still remains and it's who will step up behind our trio! The rise in distance makes it a little more challenging to predict based off of the 5k last meet! Joseph Benn and Siddharth Jayaraman are the veterans and have run this distance before! Benn looked strong last meet! Cawthra didn't race last meet so I'm excited to see his improvement! It's hard to gauge where the freshman will stand in an 8k! Jack Johnston looked GOOD last meet as did Zach Munger! But the 8k is a different animal! So pay attention to how our freshman fare, especially towards the end of the race!


So get on out to Dale Watts! These meets are so fun and the course is designed with loops to give fans an excellent opportunity to view the runners! There's nothing like watching our Ags come running down that home stretch! Admission is free! There will also be a great quality high school meet afterwards!

ALSO FREE WENDEL MCRAVEN AND LET HIM DO WEEKLY PRESS CONFERENCES! WHY ISNT HE SPEAKING WITH THE MEDIA!

Also my old account got banned, but I wanted to give updates on the meet and continue talking track and cross country with the few of you that frequent this board! So I made a new account as quickly a si could! Track and field is one of the things I'm most passionate about and getting to do this and talk Aggie track and field and xc is something thoroughly enjoy doing! However as a new account I'm limited to the number of posts I can make in a day to 5, so I won't be able to post a lot of updates from the meet… I'll try to make them count though

Anyways, give them hell Ags!

Spurs1321 said:

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Wow taylorswift13 was one of my favorite posters and that girl or guy would post everywhere supporting almost every Aggie sport! Can't believe they would ban her or him! They alone got me interested in Aggie Track!

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thanks Spurs1321! Like other posters on here, I just really love Aggie Track and Field and my goal is to expand fan awareness and if I can make one person more interested than I did my job!

Alright, my fellow distance running fiends, it is time for the FIRST home meet of the 2023 Texas A&M Cross Country Season. The Aggies are coming off a SWEEP at TCU's home meet, the John McKenzie invitational, and both sides are hungry to also defend their crown from the Texas A&M Invitational last year, and I wouldn't like to be betting against them to repeat their success this year. Opposing teams feature East Central University, Houston, North Texas, Oklahoma Baptist, Sam Houston, TAMU-commerce, and TCU. Both the men and women come into the season ranked above this week's competition, and I'd expect the race to reflect this. The men's team will be once again sitting out some major contributors in Eric Casarez and Chandon Chikkara, but the mix of depth, experience, and new blood in those racing should leave Aggie fans confident. On the women's side, just like the men's, the team is much different from last year. I would expect strong performances from returners Madison Brown, Maddie Livingston and Kennady Fontenot to lead the charge. A strong freshmen class led last week by Shewaye Johnson will be making their home debut. Now let's go through this week's line up…



THE MEN…



JOSEPH BENN - The experienced senior returns for his farewell season. Don't let his high school times fool you, the College Station Cougar hasn't missed a single cross country meet in his 4 year stint and is a reliable scorer. The slow twitch high mileage guru only gets stronger as the distances get longer. Coming off a solid 4th place finish at TCU, I would expect this vet to improve with the additional 3K.


SIDDHARTH JAYARAMAN - Jayaraman returns for his fourth cross country season after a frustrating spring. Like Benn, he is a cougar alumni turning some heads on the collegiate scene. After making some noise in his first NCAA regional race ever with his 41st place finish, Sid returns with a bit of a chip on his shoulder after an injury ridden 2023 spring track season. The battle-hardened chemical engineering major should only be expected to get better week to week as he turns into a daunting force in the late season.


JONATHAN CHUNG - With momentum from his win at TCU, and a breakthrough season in 2022, the Allen alumni is looking to continue his hot streak. A favorite for the individual title this Friday and a menace on grass, he ran very consistent 24:0Xs throughout his entire junior campaign before his impressive NCAA Regional effort. No doubt he's looking to for a team win and maybe to knock that elusive sub-24 8K off the to-do list.


DIEGO HEREDIA - One of two returning sophomores from the 2022 season, the young runner doned the Aggie uniform for the first time at TCU for an impressive debut. Looking for similar success in the 8K, Heredia is going to be dangerous as he continues to add more racing experience under his belt in his sophomore campaign.


HUNTER JACKSON - The freshman from Wylie, now without his Legolas locks, is hot off a 13th place overall finish in his first collegiate race ever. Making his 8K debut this weekend, I wouldn't be sleeping on this fish.


JACK JOHNSTON - Johnston wasted no time making a name for himself when he became 2023's first SEC XC freshman of the week after his 2nd place finish at TCU. Like Jackson, this is the Prosper Eagle's first career 8K and he's definitely on the jakegyllenhaal13_ watch list coming into Friday.


COOPER CAWTHRA - The 1500/mile specialist had a hot 2023 track season and looks to continue the momentum into cross. Not a guy I would want to have on my back down the last straight as the miler sports an impressive 1:49 800m PR to boot.


NOAH WILLOWS - Rounding out the trio of freshmen in uniform, Willows had a very solid debut two weeks ago and will be adding some 8K experience to his resume this week. The future looks bright for the freshmen, and I wouldn't put it past any of them to contribute early in their careers.


CARTER GORDY - Coming back from a minor injury, Gordy looks to join the other freshman in his first ever collegiate race. With an impressive 5K track PR of 14:45 as a high schooler, he'll very likely be leading the unattached herd and clocking an impressive debut.




THE WOMEN…


MADISON BROWN - The D2 All-American DBU Patriot turned Aggie joins the fray for her 5th year in the collegiate running scene. Boasting shiny new 5000 and 10000 marks of 16:19 and 34:28 from the spring, she looks to be an immediate contributor for the 2023 season.


KATELYN BUCKLEY - Now one of two Pirates running for the Aggies with the addition of Hunter Jackson, Buckley has been a consistent member of the women's squad throughout her tenure. With some PRs from the spring and a solid first outing in Fort Worth, the seasoned runner continues to just keep getting better and better every season.


NICOLE CHASTAIN - From the Peach state that is Georgia, she is, like many, fresh off a strong track season with a new 5K PR. She's firmly in the contender conversation with a 21st place finish at TCU and will be one to watch out for at home.


KENNADY FONTENOT - Fontenot enters her sophomore year as an important piece of the women's side. Her 4th place TCU finish proves she has only gotten stronger since her impressive freshman start and will definitely be a major piece of the Aggies moving forward.


BROOKE FORBES - Another one of the sophomore Aggies with postseason experience, Forbes returns for her second year. She looks to bounce back from a couple of injuries in the spring to continue on the strong foundation she set up for herself freshman year.


AMANDA HOGAN - One of the big cross training enthusiasts on the Texas A&M XC team, she's already jumped into the contributor conversation from her 10th place finish at the TCU invitational. She's one of many on the jakegyllenhaal13_ watchlist for breakthrough performances.


SHEWAYE JOHNSON - Like Johnston, the Prosper native looks to make an immediate impact on the team. Finishing a very impressive 5th overall at TCU and 4th for the Aggies in her maroon and white debut, Johnson will likely be an important piece.


MADDIE JONES - From the College Station High School Pipeline, Maddie looks to live up to the rest of the Cougars turned Aggies. From Benn to Jayaraman to Seagraves to Bishop to Warren, the Cougars have an impressive line of Aggie track legends and Jones is off to a solid start.


EMMA LITTLE - Now sporting post season cross experience, Little ran a very impressive 7th place effort at TCU. Another strong likely contributor, that experience will continue to pay dividends.


MADDIE LIVINGSTON - With PRs in the 1500, 3000, 5000, and 10000 this spring, it's safe to say that Livingston is moving in the right direction. Leading the Aggies at TCU and the top returner, it's clear the momentum from the track season hasn't gone anywhere.


CARSON PARKER - Making her first sophomore outing this week, Parker is part of a strong class of 2022 recruiting class and should be on everyone's watch list.


MARY GRACE RODRIGUEZ - The 5th year returns for another cross country season. With recent SECs and NCAA Regionals experience, I'm sure the veteran is excited to return to Dale Watts after injuries this past track season. With PRs in the 3K, 5K, and 6K last season, Rodriguez knows how to bounce back.



And that wraps up the Aggie competitors this week!
The Texas A&M Invitational will begin at 8:00 with the Men's 8K followed by the Women's 5K at 8:45.

COOPER CAWTHRA! What a race and a very pleasant surprise for Cawthra who had a HUGE PR in the 8k distance of 24:04 blasting his previous best of 24:33! We needed Cawthra to step up this year and he delivered well! What a race for the young man! Behind him was Johnathan Chung who led most of the way with a 24:17 and Joseph Benn showed out and presented a strong case to be in our top 5 consistently as he ran a 24:19! But Freshman Jack Johnston ran a superb time to be in our top 5 with an excellent 8k and Dale Watts Debut of 24:23 which is a crazy time for a freshman running their first 8k wow! Rounding out the top 7 were Freshman Noah Willows, Siddharth Jayaraman, and Carter Gordy! The men will win the team portion after a strong top 4! We dropped off a bit after that but were still in great shape to win! It's great to see such strong performances from the top 4 guys and I hope Cawthra and Benn can stay consistent! What a great debut for Johnston! Eric Casarez and Chandon Chhikara did not run unfortunately the team will only be more loaded when they return!


1. Cooper Cawthra - 24:04
5. Johnathan Chung - 24:17
6. Joseph Benn - 24:19
8. Jack Johnston - 24:23
24. Noah Willows - 25:01

28. Siddharth Jayaraman - 25:05
39. Carter Gordy - 25:20


Men's Team Placing
1. Texas A&M - 43
2. Houston - 90
3. UTA - 129
4. TCU - 131
5. Tarleton - 1:48

On the women's side it was an easy team win! Led by Maddie Livingston's first place!!!! She ran a 17:18 to win it all! Behind her was Kennady Fontenot who continues her excellent running! She's having a great sophomore season!! She placed 4th with a 17:34 and right behind her was Madison Brown with a 17:36 and in 7th was our amazing freshman Shewaye Johnson in 17:42! Rounding out the top 5 was another excellent sophomore in Emma Little! Right behind her was Amanda Hogan and Katelyn Buckley! Seemed like a slow course today after both races!

1. Maddie Livingston - 17:18
4. Kennady Fontenot - 17:34
5. Madison Brown - 17:36
7. Shewaye Johnson - 17:42
13. Emma Little - 18:13

15. Amanda Hogan - 18:15
16. Katelyn Buckley - 18:16


Team Scores
1. Texas A&M - 30
2. Dallas Baptist - 77
3. UT Arlington - 81
4. TCU - 104
5. Houston - 146

HOLY MU-LY where was that run at the world championships??! Sub 1:55 for Athing Mu!!

I'd love to see what Little could do focusing on the open 400 for a season.