On Saturday, October 28, the men's and women's cross country teams will compete in their first AAC Cross Country Championships, hosted by East Carolina.

The men will compete in the 8K (~5 mile) race at 8:15 CDT, while the women will run the 6K (~3¾ mile) race at 9:00 CDT.

RESULTS

Men's Preview

Rice comes into the race ranked 7th in the relatively weak South Central Region. However, that ranking is based, in part, in Coach Warren's strategy not to race as much prior to the conference meet, in order to keep everyone healthy. And, it looks as if the team will be at full strength. The team is led by redshirt freshman Gus Gannon, who is coming off a 29th place finish at the Arturo Barrios Invitational at Texas A&M. On paper, junior Elliot Metcalf should be our 2nd runner, but he has not raced as well as expected this fall. Sophomore Jackson Moran has exceeded expectations, and he could be in for another good race. Junior Andrew Murray is overdue for a good competition, as well. Sophomore Will McDermott and freshman Ben Tijerina should be competing, as well.

The likely winner of the race will be Tulane, built, in great part, with transfers from other programs. Bradley Makuvire was the Southland Conference champion for Southeastern Louisiana, and has moved right to the top of this conference, as well. Jack Jennings was a top runner at Villanova, as was Alan Deogracias at Charleston Southern. The Green Wave come in ranked 3rd in the South Central.

I would guess that Tulsa likely will finish 2nd, in spite of some poor performances over the last few weeks. They are 5th in the solid Midwest Region.

Charlotte is a bit down from where they have been over the past several seasons, as they are only 7th in the Southeast Region.

My guess:

1. Tulane
2. Tulsa
3. Charlotte
4. Rice
5. Wichita State

Women's Preview

Rice's women's team is down from the past few seasons, based on the graduation of some outstanding runners - particularly All-American Grace Forbes. In fact, the team has no true "distance" runner, as Coach Bevan has assembled the team from his middle distance track team. Rice comes into the meet at 10th in the South Central Region - that might be the lowest ranking in a decade for the women's team.

Rice should be led by senior Hunter Taigen-Galvan, who has been solid all season. Sophomore Amelie Attenborough should be the team's second runner tomorrow. After that, it is difficult to know who will be 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc. It may be on the shoulders of 3 freshmen - Alex Cobran, Emma Hourican, and Cici Calhoun. Perhaps Alisa Meraz-Fishbein could be the 3rd runner. We'll see.

SMU is the strong favorite to win the race, and easily, as they come in ranked 2nd in the South Central Region. The Lady Mustangs rely heavily on foreign runners, with 2 from France, and 1 from Germany among their top 5.

My guess:

1. SMU
2. Tulane (5th in South Central)
3. Charlotte (10th in Southeast)
4. Wichita State (12th in Midwest)
5. Tulsa (15th in Midwest)
6. Rice

Go RICE! x2!

After 2K, Charlotte leads. Rice is in 4th. Tulane is 6th!

Gannon currently in 4th.
Dropped to 13th at the 4K.

Unofficially, it looks like Tulsa will win the team title - as they have done for years. Apparently, their late season slump was just a fluke. I have no idea what happened to Tulane.

Both races are live on ESPN+

Tulsa 38
Charlotte 44
Tulane 60
Wichita State 106
Rice 140

14. Gus Gannon
27. Ben Tijerina
31. Davis Thames
34. Travis Down
36. Elliot Metcalf
40. Andrew Murray
41. Jackson Moran

(10-28-2023 08:50 AM)WRCisforgotten79 Wrote:  14. Gus Gannon
27. Ben Tijerina
31. Davis Thames
34. Travis Down
36. Elliot Metcalf
40. Andrew Murray
41. Jackson Moran

One of those students is in my course!

Tulane wins the women’s race. Rice was 6th.

Two weeks until South Central Regionals in Fayetteville, AR (Nov. 10)

Tulane 42
Charlotte 58
SMU 76
Tulsa 102
Wichita State 128
Rice 162

17. Taigen Hunter-Galvan
30. Alex Gobran
35. Amelie Attenborough
37. Emma Hourican
43. Alisa Meraz-Fishbein

Clearly, my "expert" predictions were not on target.