PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American’s cross country programs will run their final regular season races from October 12-13 for one last tune up before the 2018 American Cross Country Championships in New Orleans on October 25. The league has captured 17 individual and 15 team titles in 2018.
Six men’s and women’s programs received a regional ranking in the latest USTFCCCA poll. Tulsa led the men’s teams, coming in at No. 4 in the Midwest Region, while SMU is ranked No. 2 in the South Central Region and received votes in the latest national coaches’ poll.
Seven programs will compete on Friday. USF and ECU will each host their 2018 home meets. The Bulls were the only program to run last weekend, competing in the Disney Cross Country Classic. The Pirates will be in action for the first time this month, most recently competing at the Paul Short Run in Bethlehem, Pa., on September 29.
UConn will send its squads to the Princeton Invitational. Last time out, the UConn women’s team placed fifth at the Paul Short Run with Susan Aneno taking ninth place overall in a time of 22:28. The Huskies’ men’s team appeared in their second meet of the year, finishing 19th out of the 41 participants. Both UConn programs are ranked in the Northeast Region with the women at No. 11 and the men at No. 13.
Temple will join the Huskies in Princeton. The Owls sent runners to both the Paul Short Run and the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational two weeks ago. At the Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational, the Owls faced multiple nationally ranked opponents in both the men’s and women’s fields. Each Temple program has won two races this year, as the men’s squad has the second-best regional ranking in the conference at No. 7 in the Mid-Atlantic Region. The women also are ranked No. 7 in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Cincinnati will be running the course that will be used as the site of the NCAA Midwest Region when the Bearcats compete at the Bradley Pink Classic. The Bearcat men are No. 14 in the Great Lakes Region, as Aaron Bienenfeld won the most recent Athlete of the Week honor and became just the second Bearcat (male or female) to earn an American cross country weekly accolade after a top-10 finish at the Greater Louisville Classic.
UCF will travel to Tallahassee for its final regular season meet at Florida State. Last time out, the Knights finished ninth in the 27-team field at the Mountain Dew Invitational on September 22. Charlotte Crook was the first Knight across the finish line in Gainesville, lowering her previous best mark by more than 45 seconds.
Memphis’ men’s cross country team has had a strong season, winning the Brooks Twilight Classic and the Rhodes College Invitational, while earning its first regional ranking in four years. In the Tigers’ most recent action, Matthew Kamph and Paige Sandwell led a group of six runners who set career-bests in the Greater Louisville Classic. After taking a week off, Memphis returns to the trails, running in the UAB Blazer Classic on Friday.
Five more American Athletic Conference cross country programs will conclude their regular seasons on Saturday. Tulane and Wichita State will be up against the best in the nation when they head to Madison, Wis., for the Pre-National meet. Wisconsin’s Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course will be the site of this year’s NCAA Championships. Both the Green Wave and Shockers will be running against 71 teams in the Cardinal Race.
Tulane’s men’s team is ranked No. 13 in the South Central Region. Each of the Shockers’ teams are ranked in the Midwest Region with the women listed at No. 13 and the men at No. 14. Tulane’s Emmanuel Rotich, who captured the 2017 American individual title, won the Texas A&M Invitational in his first and only time competing this season. Wichita State most recently competed at the Chile Pepper Festival on September 22. The Shockers will also be sending runners to Victoria, Kansas, for the FHSU Tiger Open on Saturday.
SMU has finished in the top five of each of its three races run this season—including winning its first two meets of the year. Hannah Miller, who won the 2017 individual crown at The American Championships, has carried the momentum into this season, winning three conference weekly awards and two races. The Mustangs’ final race before the 2018 American Championships will be at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station, Texas.
Houston also ran at the Texas A&M Invitational in its most recent race. Meredith Sorensen picked up a top-10 finish, while the women's team finished sixth and the men finished 10th. The Houston women are ranked No. 13 in the South Central Region. The Cougars will travel to the Santa Clara Bronco Invitational for their final regular season race.