By Drew Harris | UTAMavs.com

ARLINGTON, Texas - The UT Arlington cross country teams finds themselves in familiar places heading into the Sun Belt Conference Championships, as both squads once again have opportunities to contend for league titles at Nash Farm Battlefield Park in Atlanta, Ga.

"We are going into Sunday's races with chances to compete for championships, but we know what we're up against. It's a very formidable league," UTA coach John Sauerhage said. "In sports, it takes total team efforts to win championships. And nowhere is it more true than in cross country."

With its recent track record, UTA surely recognizes what is required. The women won last year's cross country title after finishing as the runner up in 2013. The men, meanwhile, claimed the 2013 crown prior to placing third a year ago.

Both teams are talented once again. The men are currently ranked sixth in the USTFCCCA South Central Region, while the women are listed ninth.

"From runners one through seven, we feel pretty good about our teams," Sauerhage said. "Depth will be to our advantage this weekend. But we also have great 1-2 punches on both teams. Eric Ojeda and Michael Guerrero and Gabriela Alfonzo and Katelyn Hayward have led us all year."

All four runners have experience at league meets and will be part of a veteran group asked to show the freshmen what to expect.

Ojeda was a first-team all-conference choice last year and won second-team honors as a sophomore. He was the individual champion at UTA's Gerald Richey Invitational in September.

Guerrero was voted the SBC Men's Student-Athlete of the Week on Sept. 30. He has placed in the top 10 three times and has been the Mavericks' top runner four times in five meets in 2015.

"For us to bring home a men's championship, we will have to bring it at a higher level than we have at any meet this year. But I think we are capable of that kind of effort," Sauerhage said.

Alfonzo, a senior who was the Sun Belt Women's Student-Athlete of Week on Sept. 23, is a two-time second-team all-conference performer. She has finished among the top 15 in all four of her races this fall.

Hayward was a first-team all-SBC honoree last year and a third-team performer in 2013. She owns a pair of top-5 finishes to go along with a top-10 placement among four competitions this year.

"The hardest one to win is the first one," Sauerhage said. "And the next toughest is the second one. But we have some very competitive girls and they are going to run hard."

The women's 5k race will begin at 9 a.m. (CT), while the men compete in the 8k one hour later. The meet central page can be found at SunBeltSports.org.

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