Cross Country Opens Season At Baylor Twilight

The women will run first on a 4K course with the men following in a 6K race afterwards.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State cross country teams open the season on Friday at the Baylor Twilight in Waco, Texas. Thursday afternoon the Sun Belt Conference release the cross country preseason polls that saw the men be selected to finish third and the women picked seventh.

Friday’s meet will begin at 7 p.m. at the Heart of Texas Soccer Complex. The women will run first on a 4K course with the men following in a 6K race afterwards.

In the preseason poll, the men received 71 points. The only teams to finish ahead of them were UTA (99 pts; 9 first-place votes) and Louisiana (89 pts; 1 first-place vote).

SBC Men’s Cross Country Preseason Poll

1. UTA (9) – 99 pts
2. Louisiana (1) – 89 pts
3. Texas State – 71 pts
4. Appalachian State – 67 pts
5. South Alabama – 59 pts
6. Arkansas State – 52 pts
7. Little Rock – 36 pts
8. Coastal Carolina – 33 pts
9. Troy – 26 pts
10. ULM – 16 pts

The men’s team is coming off a third place finish last year at the SBC Championships, the best since joining the conference, and the program’s best performance at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships, eighth, since 2005.

Seven returners are back led by senior Jose Angel Gonzalez and junior Joseph Meade. Both recorded top 10 finishes at the conference championships to earn All-SBC second team honors. Others returning are seniors Noe Belmares, Jr., Jordan Janer, Trenton Koestler and Logan Pittdman and junior Kyle Denomme. Joining them are freshmen Joe Austin, Chase Bracher, Owen McGlothlin, Cade Michael and Cody Miller.

The Texas State women totaled 75 points in the preseason poll to be picked ahead of Louisiana, Georgia Southern, Troy, Little Rock and ULM, respectively. At last year’s SBC Championships, the Bobcats placed eighth to tie the program’s best finish since becoming a conference member.

SBC Women’s Cross Country Preseason Poll

1. Appalachian State (8) – 140 pts
2. Coastal Carolina (4) – 122 pts
3. UTA – 106 pts
4. South Alabama – 100 pts
5. Arkansas State – 89 pts
6. Georgia State – 85 pts
7. Texas State – 75 pts
8. Louisiana – 61 pts
9. Georgia Southern – 56 pts
10. Troy – 40 pts
11. Little Rock – 37 pts
12. ULM – 23 pts

A relatively young squad, this year’s TXST team features seven returners with just three upperclassmen in senior Nikki Sanchez and juniors Devina Schneider and Erin Williams. Back for their second year in a Bobcat uniform are sophomores Allyson Godfrey, Sarah Godfrey, Madilyn King and Kendra Long. The two freshmen joining the team are McKynzie King and Tina Sierra.

For the latest on Texas State track and field, visit the official website of Texas State Athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com and follow the team on Twitter at @TxStateTrack.

Baylor Twilight Information: http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/bay/sports/c-xc/auto_pdf/2017-18/misc_non_event/bear-twilight-17-info.pdf

SBC Release: http://sunbeltsports.org/news/2017/8/31/mens-cross-country-uta-men-appalachian-state-women-picked-to-repeat-as-cross-country-champions.aspx