411OnTheForty: Texas cross country announces limited schedules
The Texas cross country teams learned Monday they would have to prepare itself for a fall schedule that resembles a sprint, rather than a long distance race.
Edrick Floréal, head coach of the cross country and track and field teams, announced that both the men's and women's cross country teams will compete in just two meets this fall, meaning there will be little room for poor performance, and much less time to achieve personal bests and high-place finishes.
The Horns will compete Oct. 17 in the Arturo Barrios Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M in College Station, for the second consecutive year. Last season, the women placed ninth at the event.
The Invitational will be UT's only chance to tune up before the Big 12 Championships, which will be held Oct. 30 in Lawrence, Kansas. The host, Kansas, finished fourth in the men's race at last year's Big 12 Championships, and the KU women placed sixth.
Texas is coming off a season in which the Horns competed for the Big 12 title and had the best performance at the NCAA Championships in over a decade. The men's team, led by Sam Worley, earned a third-place finish at last year's conference meet. With fourth place finisher Kathryn Gillespie, the women placed second.