THE UT ARLINGTON men’s and women’s cross country teams have their sights set on a new finish line this year, as the Mavericks teams move into the Western Athletic Conference for their 2012 campaign. The men’s ….
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team may be one of the deepest squads in recent school history, with as many as eight to 10 runners looking to contribute.
“We’ll be a competitive team on the men’s side,” head coach John Sauerhage said. “We have talent and depth, and when you have those things, you have a chance. Success breeds success and the competition on the team on a day-in, day-out basis will not allow for complacency from anyone.”
Freshmen Virgilio Martinez and Craig Lautenslager will lead the pack. Martinez, a four-time cross country regional qualifier from Arlington High School, is a promising youngster. Lautenslager, a native of the Metroplex, became one of New Zealand’s top distance runners since moving to the country when he was eight.
UT Arlington also welcomes back five runners who participated in last year’s Southland Conference Championships, including Cody Widener who’s in for a big senior season. The women’s team ranks among the youngest in the nation, with the 10-person team comprising of five freshmen and five sophomores. Just three team members have competed at a conference championship, with the highest finish coming from sophomore Hannah Nilsson at last year’s meet (31st). “We lost our top two runners, but we have a good class of freshmen,” Sauerhage said. “It’s a matter of how quickly they can adapt to running at a Division I school. If we can stay healthy, we can reach our potential.”
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