Regionals Preview
When the leaves are their reddest, the air is the crispest, the silence before the gun is the quietest, and the stakes are the highest, its Cross Country Regional Championship time. Our men and women's cross country teams will toe the line at Agri Park in hideous Fayetteville, Arkansas Friday with the women at 10:30 and the men at 11:30.
This one if for all the marbles. All the dress rehearsals lead to the main showtime this Friday. We will compete in the South Central Regional Championships with 29 other schools in the region that encompasses Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. There are 10 regions in the country and the top 2 from each region will advance to nationals. For the newcomers who saw the length of this article and decided sure why not read all this, cross country is a team sport first and foremost. It is scored by the total number of places the top 5 runners in the team get. The lowest score wins. A team may run up to 7 individuals but only the first 5 to finish will be scored. The best score being 15. The women will run 6km while the men will run 10km after usually running the 8k most of the year!
Now what to expect and look for tomorrow. Similar to last year, the men's side will be tough team wise because Arkansas and Texas are two of the nations best. So it will be tough to overtake those two squads. On the women's side, there is an opportunity to place second behind Arkansas. Us, texas, Tulane, SMU, and LSU will be fighting for that second coveted spot. To qualify individually, a runner must be in the top 4 aide from individuals who advanced as a member of a top two team. So you get rid of the 14 people from the top two teams and the top 4 will advance.
First let's break down our teams. On the men's side we are led by Eric Casarez who is in his last season in the maroon and white and will want to go out with a statement. No one deserves a spot to nationals more than him! He has ran well the last few years and has represented the maroon and white as best as you could ask for! Let's hope tomorrow isn't his last cross country race, I'm betting it won't be! We also have Jonathan Chung, who qualified last year in a race and kick for the ages! He willed himself to that finish line at Dale Watts in front of the home crowd's roar! He knows what it takes and the 10k distance is where he can thrive. Last year he ran fearlessly and gave himself a chance, expect more of the same from Chung. Behind him we have Cooper Cawthra who has become a brand new runner in xc this year. Known for his strong 1500 and mile, Cawthra has exploded onto the scene in xc and has consistently been one of our top runners! If you've seen him run on the track, you'd know how he loves to run up top and take control. This sport is different but you need to run fearlessly and confidently. After a slow start, Joseph Benn ran extremely well at conference to place himself right behind Chung to assert himself as one of our top 5! He has run the 10k distance before, so hopefully he can well to keep us in contention! Freshman Jack Johnston has consistently been in our top 5, but it will be his first 10k, so it'll be interesting to follow how he paces himself through the checkpoints. Behind him we have Siddharth Jayaraman who finished as our 5th runner last year placing 41st at regionals. Maybe the 10k is better suited for him, but we hope he can replicate that success. These 6 should be contending for our top 5 spots, who will run as the 7th runner will be close, it can be any of our young promising freshman.
Unfortunately this year Arkansas and Texas have allocated a high number of scholarships to cross country, definitely outpacing us in that regard. Arkansas has some strong international runners who are some of the best in the nation. Texas got a top runner to transfer from one of the best programs in Stanford. These two teams are going to be rough to overtake but that's why the races are ran! Fighting us near the top will be Tulane who have been running well all year and are led by Bradley Mckuvire who beat Casarez by a second at the Arturo Barrios. Tulane has a really strong top 3 but they seem to drop off after that. We'll see if our men can run well and one of the two teams struggle to take down one of them. But it will be important to follow who the top runners are that don't have a razorback or longhorn logo next to their name. We need to track Casarez Chung and Cawthra and how they stand in these placings.
On the women's side is it going to be a wild finish. It's very unpredictable and the amount of teams fighting for that second spot is what's going to make it fun to follow. For us, we are led by the amazing Maddie Livingston. She has been on an absolute tear this year and has led us in every single race. Her improvement from this year to last is incredible. We need her to run her best race ever and get into the top ten! She can be in the mix for an individual qualifying spot as well. Right behind her is the sensational sophomore Kennady Fontenot who is having an incredible campaign as well! She has been extremely consistent and will be important to our teams chances. Tomorrow I bet we find o it how great of a transfer Madison Brown is! She came in with a high pedigree from DBU and tomorrow I bet she has her best race as an Aggie! Look for her to run extremely well, she is experienced and tan in important races, she will be instrumental for us. If she runs well, expect us to do well. Behind her we have the fabulous freshman Shewaye Johnson. Very mature and very consistent for someone of her age, it's important she runs cool and collected tomorrow. We need her to beat as many Texas girls as she can. But our most important runner tomorrow is another great sophomore in Emma Little. All regular season we wondered who our 5 runner would be and Little answered that emphatically at conference running her best race to date! If we are to have any chance at the second spot, a lot hinges on Emma Little. I believe she gets it done! Last meet was her breakthrough and I bet she continues to run extremely well! It's important she stay with Shewaye and Madison! So keep an eye out for her!
Team perspective, we do have a shot. The clear clear front runner is Arkansas. They had their five beat Maddie Livingston at conference. So for a team perspective we need Livingston to beat a couple hogs. Tulane is ranked ahead of us according to the USTFCCCA and tu is 4th as they predict us 3rd. Texas has been without their top runner and transfer Olivia Howell previously at Illinois. The indoor mile champ will be a huge boost if she is healthy tomorrow. They also have Beth Ramos who is always consistent. They had a slow regular season last year but ran extremely well at regionals. However with a new coach they don't seem to be running as strong this year. They lost the Hebner twins who were very solid runners as well as Valery Tobias. Tulane girls won their conference led by Gemma Robello. Tulane was active in the transfer portal as 3 of their top 4 are all transfers. They loaded up and built a nice squad. We need Maddie to take down Gemma or stay as close to her as possible. We need Kennady and Madison to stay with their 2 and 3. They do have a drop off from 4 to 5 so we need to see if our 4-5 can finish way ahead of her. Their 5 should be Sophia McNerny. Texas' should be Eva Jess, we need our girls to beat her as well. Elizabeth Pickett, Allyson Little, Kelsie Vicknair, and Katarzyna Kwiatowski are their other runners we need to beat. SMU has a strong squad as well. Gracie Morris of TCU, Mateo Jekemboi of UTA and Lorena Rangel Batres of LSU are some to watch for the top 4 other spots.
All that said cross country is an unpredictable and wild sport. Anything can happen on any given day, that's why Pat Henry says, let's all have our best day on the same day. This is a team sport and every person matters. Runners 1-7. We have come short the previous years, but I hope our girls can punch a ticket to nationals this year. It's not going to be easy, but in this sport all you need is a chance. Let's hope for some Aggie Magic tomorrow!!!
On a personal note, my apologies for the inactivity and for not getting previews or recaps out. My mother has been hospitalized since October 3rd due to a stroke and was in a coma for most of it, but she's awake now and we're hoping she can show signs of recovery, and I lost an aunt this week as well. So if I'm not able to post along with the meet tomorrow I apologize. The live results link will have live splits at 3 checkpoints for the women and 5 checkpoints for the men! Each checkpoint will have team placing as well! Let's hope for the best and see if we can send many Aggies to nationals! Gig'em!
When the leaves are their reddest, the air is the crispest, the silence before the gun is the quietest, and the stakes are the highest, its Cross Country Regional Championship time. Our men and women's cross country teams will toe the line at Agri Park in hideous Fayetteville, Arkansas Friday with the women at 10:30 and the men at 11:30.
This one if for all the marbles. All the dress rehearsals lead to the main showtime this Friday. We will compete in the South Central Regional Championships with 29 other schools in the region that encompasses Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana. There are 10 regions in the country and the top 2 from each region will advance to nationals. For the newcomers who saw the length of this article and decided sure why not read all this, cross country is a team sport first and foremost. It is scored by the total number of places the top 5 runners in the team get. The lowest score wins. A team may run up to 7 individuals but only the first 5 to finish will be scored. The best score being 15. The women will run 6km while the men will run 10km after usually running the 8k most of the year!
Now what to expect and look for tomorrow. Similar to last year, the men's side will be tough team wise because Arkansas and Texas are two of the nations best. So it will be tough to overtake those two squads. On the women's side, there is an opportunity to place second behind Arkansas. Us, texas, Tulane, SMU, and LSU will be fighting for that second coveted spot. To qualify individually, a runner must be in the top 4 aide from individuals who advanced as a member of a top two team. So you get rid of the 14 people from the top two teams and the top 4 will advance.
First let's break down our teams. On the men's side we are led by Eric Casarez who is in his last season in the maroon and white and will want to go out with a statement. No one deserves a spot to nationals more than him! He has ran well the last few years and has represented the maroon and white as best as you could ask for! Let's hope tomorrow isn't his last cross country race, I'm betting it won't be! We also have Jonathan Chung, who qualified last year in a race and kick for the ages! He willed himself to that finish line at Dale Watts in front of the home crowd's roar! He knows what it takes and the 10k distance is where he can thrive. Last year he ran fearlessly and gave himself a chance, expect more of the same from Chung. Behind him we have Cooper Cawthra who has become a brand new runner in xc this year. Known for his strong 1500 and mile, Cawthra has exploded onto the scene in xc and has consistently been one of our top runners! If you've seen him run on the track, you'd know how he loves to run up top and take control. This sport is different but you need to run fearlessly and confidently. After a slow start, Joseph Benn ran extremely well at conference to place himself right behind Chung to assert himself as one of our top 5! He has run the 10k distance before, so hopefully he can well to keep us in contention! Freshman Jack Johnston has consistently been in our top 5, but it will be his first 10k, so it'll be interesting to follow how he paces himself through the checkpoints. Behind him we have Siddharth Jayaraman who finished as our 5th runner last year placing 41st at regionals. Maybe the 10k is better suited for him, but we hope he can replicate that success. These 6 should be contending for our top 5 spots, who will run as the 7th runner will be close, it can be any of our young promising freshman.
Unfortunately this year Arkansas and Texas have allocated a high number of scholarships to cross country, definitely outpacing us in that regard. Arkansas has some strong international runners who are some of the best in the nation. Texas got a top runner to transfer from one of the best programs in Stanford. These two teams are going to be rough to overtake but that's why the races are ran! Fighting us near the top will be Tulane who have been running well all year and are led by Bradley Mckuvire who beat Casarez by a second at the Arturo Barrios. Tulane has a really strong top 3 but they seem to drop off after that. We'll see if our men can run well and one of the two teams struggle to take down one of them. But it will be important to follow who the top runners are that don't have a razorback or longhorn logo next to their name. We need to track Casarez Chung and Cawthra and how they stand in these placings.
On the women's side is it going to be a wild finish. It's very unpredictable and the amount of teams fighting for that second spot is what's going to make it fun to follow. For us, we are led by the amazing Maddie Livingston. She has been on an absolute tear this year and has led us in every single race. Her improvement from this year to last is incredible. We need her to run her best race ever and get into the top ten! She can be in the mix for an individual qualifying spot as well. Right behind her is the sensational sophomore Kennady Fontenot who is having an incredible campaign as well! She has been extremely consistent and will be important to our teams chances. Tomorrow I bet we find o it how great of a transfer Madison Brown is! She came in with a high pedigree from DBU and tomorrow I bet she has her best race as an Aggie! Look for her to run extremely well, she is experienced and tan in important races, she will be instrumental for us. If she runs well, expect us to do well. Behind her we have the fabulous freshman Shewaye Johnson. Very mature and very consistent for someone of her age, it's important she runs cool and collected tomorrow. We need her to beat as many Texas girls as she can. But our most important runner tomorrow is another great sophomore in Emma Little. All regular season we wondered who our 5 runner would be and Little answered that emphatically at conference running her best race to date! If we are to have any chance at the second spot, a lot hinges on Emma Little. I believe she gets it done! Last meet was her breakthrough and I bet she continues to run extremely well! It's important she stay with Shewaye and Madison! So keep an eye out for her!
Team perspective, we do have a shot. The clear clear front runner is Arkansas. They had their five beat Maddie Livingston at conference. So for a team perspective we need Livingston to beat a couple hogs. Tulane is ranked ahead of us according to the USTFCCCA and tu is 4th as they predict us 3rd. Texas has been without their top runner and transfer Olivia Howell previously at Illinois. The indoor mile champ will be a huge boost if she is healthy tomorrow. They also have Beth Ramos who is always consistent. They had a slow regular season last year but ran extremely well at regionals. However with a new coach they don't seem to be running as strong this year. They lost the Hebner twins who were very solid runners as well as Valery Tobias. Tulane girls won their conference led by Gemma Robello. Tulane was active in the transfer portal as 3 of their top 4 are all transfers. They loaded up and built a nice squad. We need Maddie to take down Gemma or stay as close to her as possible. We need Kennady and Madison to stay with their 2 and 3. They do have a drop off from 4 to 5 so we need to see if our 4-5 can finish way ahead of her. Their 5 should be Sophia McNerny. Texas' should be Eva Jess, we need our girls to beat her as well. Elizabeth Pickett, Allyson Little, Kelsie Vicknair, and Katarzyna Kwiatowski are their other runners we need to beat. SMU has a strong squad as well. Gracie Morris of TCU, Mateo Jekemboi of UTA and Lorena Rangel Batres of LSU are some to watch for the top 4 other spots.
All that said cross country is an unpredictable and wild sport. Anything can happen on any given day, that's why Pat Henry says, let's all have our best day on the same day. This is a team sport and every person matters. Runners 1-7. We have come short the previous years, but I hope our girls can punch a ticket to nationals this year. It's not going to be easy, but in this sport all you need is a chance. Let's hope for some Aggie Magic tomorrow!!!
On a personal note, my apologies for the inactivity and for not getting previews or recaps out. My mother has been hospitalized since October 3rd due to a stroke and was in a coma for most of it, but she's awake now and we're hoping she can show signs of recovery, and I lost an aunt this week as well. So if I'm not able to post along with the meet tomorrow I apologize. The live results link will have live splits at 3 checkpoints for the women and 5 checkpoints for the men! Each checkpoint will have team placing as well! Let's hope for the best and see if we can send many Aggies to nationals! Gig'em!
