After both the women’s and men’s cross-country teams placed third at the Niamadu Classic at Abilene Christian, UTSA traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the 2020 Conference USA Championships.  

Finishing the 2019 season with an eighth place ranking, the men’s team was led by junior Jake Smith in the 8,000 meter race with a 30th place finish. Smith completed the course in 25:46, the top league placing of his tenure as a ‘Runner. The team racked up 231 points during the meet, finishing ahead of Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Marshall and Charlotte.

Following Smith, junior Matthew Wade clenched the second best time of the team with a 26:21.25, crossing the finish line in 39th. Sophomore Harrison Wade clenched a 50th place finish with freshman Idol Ramon, who finished 53rd with a time of 27:00.91, right on his heels. 

Freshman Luke Lawhorn completed his first C-USA meet with a time of 27:29.53, securing him 59th place in the standings. Sophomore JD Corona and senior Omar Bekdache rounded out the UTSA roster in the 8,000 with 60th and 61st place finishes at 27:29.99 and 27:42.24, respectively. 

For the second time this season, junior Abby Balli led the team in the 6,000 with a 43rd place finish at 23:25.15, crossing the finish line first for 12th place UTSA. This finish was Balli’s personal best. UTSA scored 309 points for the meet with Middle Tennessee clenching the championship title with 31 points. 

Coming in second for UTSA was junior Briana Gonzalez with a time of 24:07.62, which secured her a 61st place spot. Following closely behind Gonzalez was junior Marissa Martinez with a 24:18.48, allowing her to clench 65th place. Senior Amber Boyd crossed the finish line shortly after, finishing in 68th place with a time of 24:07.62. Junior Brooke Lomax secured the last spot for the top five ‘Runners, finishing in 77th place with a time of 25:40.25. Freshmen runners Joy Ojeda and Zoie Reyna completed the roster for UTSA, placing in 79th and 83rd with times of 25:43:65 and 26:39:65, respectively.

UTSA has now completed their 2020 cross-country season and looks to compete in the outdoor track and field season this spring. Schedules and confirmation of competitions have yet to be released.