THE UT ARLINGTON men’s cross country team utilized its depth to win the school’s first-ever Western Athletic Conference crown in any sport Nov. 3. The Mavericks secured four of the race’s top 10 spots to edge Utah State in the team standings.
“The men competed with heart and showed why they deserved to be champions …
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during the second half of the race,” WAC Coach of the Year John Sauerhage said. “My emotions are of deep pride for the kids. They deserved this victory.” Virgilio Martinez — the league’s Freshman of the Year — was once again the top finisher for UTA. The Arlington native snagged fifth place after crossing the line with a time of 24:47.09 in the 8k race.
The young Mavs then nailed down spots 7-9 courtesy of fellow freshman Craig Lautenslager (24:50.61) as well as sophomores Emil Blomberg (24:51.38) and Ryan Tilotta (24:52.22). Martinez and Lautenslager earned first-team all-league accolades, while Blomberg and Tilotta were named to the second team.
The Mavericks’ team title was its first since winning the Southland Conference in 1999 and its fourth of all time. The UTA women’s team — composed of only freshmen and sophomores — placed fifth among eight schools with 125 points. For the fifth time this season, Hannah Nilsson (18:04.96) paced the Mavs, finishing 12th. As a result, Nilsson was named to the All-WAC second team.
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