XC: Long path leads to Saturday SBC meet
10/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
By Drew Harris | UTAMavs.com
ARLINGTON, Texas - Wake-up calls long before the sun came up. 100-mile weeks. Nagging injuries. UT Arlington cross country student-athletes have fought through it all this season, always with their eyes trained on late October.
The sport of cross country is different than most. Regular-season meets are not necessarily judged by team finishes or even by individual times. Instead, the focus is on building toward the postseason, making sure that when the two most important meets come around--the Sun Belt Conference Championships and NCAA South Central Regional--the runners are conditioned to run their best. That time is now.
"We're excited and ready to get after it," UTA coach John Sauerhage said about Saturday's impending SBC race. "The conference meet is what you hang your hat on. It will truly tell the story about how we progressed this season."
The men's team is seeking its fourth league title in the past five years, with two crowns in the Sun Belt (2013, 2015) and one in the Western Athletic Conference (2012). The tradition of success is expected to continue in 2016.
"I don't feel like it's pressure," sophomore Joel Duren said. "We can all get inspired from the success. I feel like we can only benefit from that."
In the preseason coaches' poll, the UTA men were the unanimous choice to win the conference title for the second straight year. But the veteran coach of nearly three decades knows what lies ahead.
"There is nothing that anyone owes us," Sauerhage said. "There has not been a champion decided for 2016. We are going to have to prove ourselves. What we've done in the past is forgotten about when the gun goes off. It's the right now we have to deal with."
The Mavericks boast a pair of runners who figure to place among the top of the leaderboard in senior Craig Lautenslager and junior Michael Guerrero. Together, the duo has claimed three Sun Belt Conference Runner of the Week accolades, with Lautenslager netting two.
This meet is especially important to Guerrero, who was injured last year and unable to contribute to the championship squad. He also recalls watching as his Mavericks suffered some misfortune at the 2014 league meet and came up short by eight points in their conference title quest.
"I'm really looking forward to it, especially with this group of guys," Guerrero said. "Everyone works really hard and is dedicated to their training. We are really pumped up. We have a good chance at bringing home a conference championship."
UTA has enjoyed an impressive season thus far. The Mavericks are fifth in the USTFCCCA's South Central Regional rankings and are coming off a strong third-place showing among 24 teams at the Crimson Classic two weeks ago.
"It's going to take a maximum effort from our guys," Sauerhage said. "We are confident we are going to run well. We'll just see how the outcome goes."
The women's team has also enjoyed a great deal of recent success. The Mavs claimed the SBC title in 2014 and took third place a year ago. UTA was picked fourth in the 2016 preseason poll, and have their sights set on another top-3 league finish.
"We're making a lot of progress," Sauerhage said. "I think our best race is still in front of us. They have a chance to really step it up."
The team is paced by junior Tori Shelton and sophomore Macey Beazley, who have combined to lead the Mavericks at all four regular season meets. They, along with senior Tamerah Gorham, have also shared the leadership roles, informing the team's host of newcomers the importance of performing their best in this race.
"I'm really excited," freshman Taylor Repa said. "The older girls have definitely made it known that this is the most important race. It's good pressure."
Repa said that attaining the team's goals is the most important thing on each Maverick's mind.
"The team aspect is my favorite part. I think whenever you have a closer bond with your team, you are able to run better because you're not just running for yourself," she said. "If you do poorly, you're not just letting yourself down, but you're letting your whole team down and your teammates you love."
The SBC Championships will be contested Saturday in Dothan. Ala. The women will run a 5k race at 10 a.m. (CT), while the men will compete in an 8k at 11 a.m. Live scoring of the races will be available through a link at UTAMavs.com.
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