Above photo from @cru_xc
ROUND ROCK, Texas- The UMHB women’s cross country team went toe-to-toe with Div. I competition, and emerged with a third-place finish at the Tornado Watch Invitational on Thursday morning in Round Rock. It was the Cru’s season-opener.
UMHB’s total time of 154:34 was bested only by Big 12 programs, Texas and Baylor. The Longhorns earned a convincing victory, with Beth Ramos and Eva Jess finishing first and second, contributing to Texas’ overall score of 22. UMHB sophomore Presley Wall was the top non-Div. I runner in the 3.1 mile race through Old Settlers Park, covering the length of the course in 22:06.4. UMHB executed the race strategy and ran well as a team, with Lindsey Smith (22nd), Holly Dasher (23rd), Madison Krause (24th), Amanda Stockton (25th) and Alexi Warkentin (26th) all crossing the line within 58 seconds of each other. Brianna Munoz placed 28th, and contributed to UMHB’s total of 80 points. Warkentin ran nearly 28 seconds faster than her time at the same meet in 2021, finishing in 24:07.8. After running at Midwestern State in 2021, Wall made her UMHB debut on Thursday and should be a key part of the program this season, as the women’s team looks to reach the NCAA Regionals once again in 2022.
Final Team Scores (Women)
- Texas-22
- Baylor-37
- UMHB-80
- Concordia-115
- Huston-Tillotson- DNF
The men’s team was also scheduled to run at the meet, but due to a travel delay, was forced to pull out. Their next chance to run comes at the Southwestern Showdown, an eight-kilometer race, on Sept. 17 in Georgetown.
The women will also compete at that meet, running a six-kilometer course.
