MEN'S LIVE RESULTS (9 A.M. CT)

WOMEN'S LIVE RESULTS (8 A.M. CT)

ARLINGTON, Texas – California Baptist was selected on both the men’s and women’s sides as the pre-championship favorites on the eve of the 2022 Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Cross Country Championships Oct. 29 at Pecan Acres Park in Nacogdoches. The Lancers won the men’s championship 8K and finished as the team runner-up in the women’s 6K at the UC Riverside Agriculture Ops Course in 2021.

Defending WAC women’s champion Utah Valley was selected second in the pre-championship rankings, alongside the Wolverine men’s team. Southern Utah, Grand Canyon and UT Arlington completed the other top five squads in the men’s rankings. Southern Utah, Abilene Christian and NM State were ranked third through fifth in the women’s poll.

2022 WAC CROSS COUNTRY PRE-CHAMPIONSHIPS POLLS

 

2022 WAC Men’s Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches’ Poll 

Rank	Team
1.	California Baptist
2.	Utah Valley
3.	Southern Utah
4.	Grand Canyon
5.	UT Arlington
6.	Stephen F. Austin
7.	Tarleton
8.	Abilene Christian
9.	Sam Houston
10.	NM State
11.	UTRGV
12.	Utah Tech
13.	Seattle U

 

2022 WAC Women’s Cross Country Pre-Championship Coaches’ Poll 

Rank	Team
1.	California Baptist
2.	Utah Valley
3.	Southern Utah
4.	Abilene Christian
5.	NM State
6.	Grand Canyon
7.	Stephen F. Austin
8.	Utah Tech
9.	UT Arlington
10.	Seattle U
11.	Tarleton
12.	Sam Houston
13.	UTRGV

 

CBU, UVU LOOK TO DEFEND TEAM CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

CBU captured its second straight WAC men’s cross country team title last October in Riverside, scoring the minimum 15 team points in the 8K championship race. Florian LePallec earned the second straight individual championship at the meet for the Lancers (Giedrus Valincius, Spring 2021), crossing the finish line in 23:18.5 with an average mile split of 4:41.3.

Utah Valley won its third WAC women’s cross country team championship at the 2021 meet, tallying 34 points on the strength of four individuals in the top 10. The Wolverines previously earned the meet hardware in 2015 and 2016. Irene Rono from Abilene Christian won the 2021 WAC Women’s 6K Championship with a time of 19:44.2.

 

DEFENDING MEN’S CHAMPION LOOKING TO JOIN RARE COMPANY

With a team win in Nacogdoches, CBU would become just the fourth men’s program in the history of the WAC to win three consecutive team titles in cross country. UTEP swept the podium at the meet from 1973-83, Utah State won five straight championships from 2005-09 and Utah Valley captured the meet each season from 2013-15.

Florian LePallec looks to become the 12th repeat individual men’s champion in meet history, but just the fifth over the past 30 years. Wyoming’s John Wodny remains the only three-time WAC men’s cross country individual gold medalist (1986-87, ‘89).

 

WAC IN THE NATIONAL, REGIONAL RANKINGS

CBU was slotted in the most recent USTFCCCA DI Men’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll that was released on Oct. 18, rising to 25th in the country. The Lancers were ranked fourth in the West Region of the most recent polling. Other WAC men’s programs among the regional top 10 were UT Arlington (eighth, South Central Region) and Southern Utah (ninth, Mountain Region).

On the women’s side, CBU climbed to 14th in the latest USTFCCCA DI Women’s Cross Country National Coaches’ Poll. Utah Valley remained in the national top-30 with the No. 24 ranking. CBU ranked third in the West Region, Utah Valley was seventh in the Mountain Region and Abilene Christian was 10th in the South Central Region.

 

ABOUT PECAN ACRES PARK

Pecan Acres Park will host its first WAC Cross Country Championships during the 2022 edition of the conference meet. The venue played host to the Lumberjack Invitational on Sept. 17, which saw the UT Arlington men win the men’s 8K with 32 points and Abilene Christian capture the women’s 6K with 25 points.

 

- WAC -