WICHITA FALLS, Texas — On Saturday, the Texas A&M-Kingsville cross-country program competed in the 2022 Mustang Derby hosted by Midwestern State at the River Creek Golf Course, as the men's team placed ninth at the site of this year's Lone Star Conference Championship.
"The men and women had a pretty good day," said coach Zachary Hall. "This was a promising race as a ream even though we rested Odette (Fernandez) as both teams were able to close gaps with conference rivals."
The men's team was once again led by sophomore Cody Fountain, who clocked in at 26:26.3 in the 8k, moving up 25 spots after the first mile to place 12th, narrowly besting Jack Gipson of UT Tyler, who crossed the finish line in 26:26.6.
Behind Fountain, freshman Daniel Salinas finished in 28:13.1 with an average mile of 5:40.6, propelling him to a 39th-place finish. Salinas, along with fellow newcomer Austin Venable each set new personal bests, with Venable clocking in at 29:08.2 in 56th, while Nicolas Torres followed shortly, placing 67th with a time of 29:36.6.
Freshman Daniel Perez and senior Elan Guerra then wrapped things up as Perez took 67th in 29:50.9 for a new collegiate best, as Guerra placed 80th, clocking in at 30:14.4.
The men's squad narrowly bested LSC-foe UT Permian Basin as the Javs took ninth, earning 231 points, while Western New Mexico was crowned team champion with 21. UT Tyler fought their way to second, achieving 56, with Wayland Baptist placing third at 101.
On the women's side, junior Fae Gonzalez paced the team with a 31st-place finish and a 20:41.1 time in the 5k. Gonzales was boxed in at the start but was able to move up 30 spots in the first 3,000m of the competition to secure the top spot for the first time in her Blue and Gold career.
Classmate Alexa Reyes and sophomore Destinee Longoria followed suit, with Reyes in 42nd with a time of 21:10.6 and Longoria pacing her way to 58th in 21:51.3. Junior Kristen Aleman concluded the Javelina women's race in Wichita Falls as she placed 75th in 23:05.9.
The champion in the women's division was host-school MSU-Texas, who scored 31 points, while WNMU took second with 75 and Angelo State third at 87.
The Javelinas will be back in action on Wednesday, Oct. 26, as they visit San Angelo, Texas, for the ASU Blue and Gold Classic, a competition that represents the final tuneup for the LSC Championships on Saturday, Nov. 5.
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