Men’s Results | Women’s Results
PHILADELPHIA, PA. – The Tulsa men’s cross country team earned its fourth straight American Athletic Conference title, while the UConn women’s team ran to their first ever league championship on Saturday morning at the Belmont Plateau in Philadelphia.
Tulsa placed four runners in the men’s top-15 to earn All-Conference honors, as the Golden Hurricane captured their fourth conference championship with 63 points, averaging a 25:42 8k. Leading the pack for the Golden Hurricane was Benjamin Preisner who clocked a time of 25:12.5 for third place, earning his third consecutive top-three finish in the conference championship race. Just behind him in fifth place was freshman Scott Beattie, this year’s men’s Freshman of the Year. Beattie ran for a time of 25:23.9, as Henry Pearce finished ninth to earn his second All-Conference honor in a row. Rounding off the All-Conference Tulsa runners was Adam Roderique who placed 12th to also earn the honor for a second consecutive year.
Tulane junior Emmanuel Rotich built off of a third place finish from last year and ran for the lead in the final mile to win the individual title with a time of 24:58.6. Houston’s Brian Barraza was among the front runners throughout the trek and earned second place (25:06) for his fourth All-Conference nod. Barraza has finished top-five in his each conference title race he’s competed in, as the second-place finish is a career best in league action.
The UConn men took second place for the second time in program history since competing in The American with 63 points, as six Husky runners finished in the top-20. Patrick Begley (25:25.8) and Mike O’Donnell (25:34) finished sixth and seventh, respectively for the Huskies to earn All-Conference honors. UConn averaged a pace of 25:52, just 10 seconds behind the Golden Hurricane.
Rounding out the top-five, Temple finished third place with 70 points and was led by Anton Harrsen (eighth) and Marc Steinsberger (10th). ECU turned in a fourth-place finish with Bakri Abushouk guiding the squad in fourth place individually. Running in The American championship for the first time ever, Wichita State captured fifth place with 148 points.
The UConn women have been on the brink of winning The American cross country title with four top-five team finishes in the history of the championship. The Huskies cruised to victory with 34 points and had five runners finish in the top-15 to earn All-Conference honors. UConn ran ahead of the pack with an average time of 21:18.9, over 20 seconds ahead of SMU, who finished second.
UConn’s Brianna O’Brien was named Freshman of the Year after leading the Huskies in second place with a time of 21:42.5 in the 6k course. UConn’s freshman Mia Nahom (21:44.4) and junior Haley Hasty (21:51.5) were right behind O’Brien in third and fourth place, respectively, as the Huskies took three of the top-five spots.
SMU’s Hannah Miller won the individual title, bettering her second place finish from last season. The sophomore picked up her second All-Conference honor with a time of 21:18.9. The individual title was a first for her in a collegiate race, as the Mustangs placed second as a team with 63 points. Teammates Tess Misgen (eighth) and Marlene Gomez-Islinger (10th) joined Miller on the All-Conference list for the first time in their careers.
Temple followed in third place with 92 points and was led by Katie Leisher who paced the Owls with a time of 21:56.7 in seventh place overall. In fourth place was Tulsa with the Green Wave’s Ashley Barnes taking ninth place (21:59.4), and Tulane took fifth with 146 points.
Team Results - Women
1. UConn (34)
2. SMU (63)
3. Temple (92)
4. Tulsa (101)
5. Tulane (146)
6. Wichita State (173)*
7. ECU (173)*
8. Memphis (208)
9. Cincinnati (209)
10. Houston (245)
11. UCF (321)
12. USF (323)
Team Results- Men
1. Tulsa, (53)
2. UConn (63)
3. Temple (70)
4. ECU (145)
5. Wichita State (148)
6. Houston (159)
7. Tulane (174)
8. Memphis (215)
9. Cincinnati (218)
10.USF (239)
All-Conference (Top 15 Finishers) - Men
1. Emmanuel Rotich, Tulane
2. Brian Barraza, Houston
3. Benjamin Preisner, Tulsa
4. Bakri Abushouk, ECU
5. Scott Beattie, Tulsa
6. Patrick Begley, UConn
7. Mike O’Donnell, UConn
8. Anton Harrsen, Temple
9. Henry Pearce, Tulsa
10. Marc Steinsberger, Temple
11. Kevin Lapsansky, Temple
12. Adam Roderique, Tulsa
13. Julian Sanchez-Pinto, Memphis
14. Nicholas Ciaccia, ECU
15. Kyle Brackman, UConn
All-Conference (Top 15 Finishers) - Women
1. Hannah Miller, SMU
2. Brianna O’Brien, UConn
3. Mia Nahom, UConn
4. Haley Hasty, UConn
5. Lauren Bartels, Tulane
6. Grace Sullivan, ECU
7. Katie Leisher, Temple
8. Tess Misgen, SMU
9. Ashley Barnes, Tulsa
10. Marlene Gomez-Islinger, SMU
11. Courtney Akerley, UConn
12. Arnica Zitting, Memphis
13. Lucy Jones, Temple
14. Danielle Jordan, UConn
15. Madison Dunlap, Cincinnati
Coaching Staff of the Year - Women
UConn
Coaching Staff of the Year – Men
Tulsa
Freshman of the Year – Women
Brianna O’Brien, UConn
Freshman of the Year – Men
Scott Beattie, Tulsa