Cross Country | 9/23/2015 3:58:00 PM
Live Results ABILENE – Abilene Christian receives its biggest test of the season Saturday when the Wildcats visit College Station and the Watts Cross Country Course for the Texas A&M Invitational.
The college men's 8K commences at 8:15 a.m. and will be followed shortly thereafter by the women's 6K.
The impressive field coming to A&M not only includes SEC powers such as Missouri and LSU and Big 12 stalwarts Texas and TCU, but five Southland Conference teams in addition to ACU: Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Lamar, McNeese and Stephen F. Austin.
Texas is the highest ranked program entered into Saturday's races as both its men's and women's teams are No. 2 in the USTFCCCA South Central Region.
Rounding out the field of competition are teams from Houston, Louisiana-Lafayette, North Texas, Rice (women only), UT Arlington and UT Rio Grande Valley.
The Wildcats enter this weekend's gathering coming off a split vs. Texas Tech. Junior Alexandria Hackett Hackett led the Wildcats to a 24-31 win over Texas Tech at Sherrod Park Friday, winning the 5K race with a time of 17:27.37 that was 51 seconds faster than the runner-up mark posted by Jocelyn Caro of the Red Raiders.
Overall, the Wildcats had five of their runners place among the top eight and that was with junior all-conference honoree Diana García Muñoz' late disqualified due to a course error. Freshman Aubrey Till was third in 18:26.97, Michaela Hackett was fifth in 18:40.99, and freshman in Carnley Graham was seventh in 19:03.91. Sophomore Bella Gutierrez was eighth in 19:22.61 to round out the Wildcats' top five.
Texas Tech had four of the top six finishers to win the men's race, 19-41, although Hassan Abdi of South Plains College won the individual title by covering the 6K course in 18:39.82. Evans Tuitoek of Texas Tech was second (18:46.45), followed by teammate Miguel Bautista in third (18:59.53).
ACU's fifth-year senior Daniel Block was fourth in 19:22.07 in front of a pair of Texas Tech runners in Joacim Zuniga (19:30.67) and Ebenether Wondaferew (19:32.78).
Both Block and Alexandria Hackett Tuesday were named Southland Conference Athlete of the Week honorable mention in recognition of their efforts vs. the Red Raiders.
