XC: Guerrero, Lautenslager set for NCAA Championships
11/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
By Drew Harris | UTAMavs.com
ARLINGTON, Texas - For the first time since 1998, the UT Arlington men's cross country team will be represented at the NCAA Cross Country Championships, as both Michael Guerrero and Craig Lautenslager will cap their stellar seasons at the national meet Saturday.
Both UTA runners earned individual trips to Terre Haute, Ind., by virtue of their top-10 finishes at the NCAA South Central Regional last Friday. Guerrero and Lautenslager are just the fourth and fifth Mavericks ever to qualify for the NCAA Championships, and the first set of teammates.
"I'm very proud of everything Michael and Craig have accomplished thus far," UTA coach John Sauerhage said. "They earned this opportunity and I am excited to see how they perform against the best in the nation."
With a 10k time of 30:22.0, Lautenslager took eighth in the regional race, the highest individual placement ever by a UTA runner at the meet. Guerrero crossed the line next with a clocking 30:32.5. The junior's ninth-place showing matches the second-best finish ever by a Maverick.
Lautenslager, a senior, missed out on a trip to nationals by two places (15 seconds) in 2014, when he finished 14th. After sitting out the 2015 season as a redshirt, he had two victories, including a Sun Belt Conference individual title. The product of Nelson, New Zealand, also placed third, eighth and 20th in his five meets this year.
Guerrero, a native of La Joya, Texas, has also been a standout following a 2015 season that was dampened due to injury. Among his six meets this year, the junior had a first-place finish and a runner-up showing. The first-team All-Sun Belt Conference selection also had three additional top-15 finishes (fourth, ninth and 14th).
The duo's impressive performances keyed the team's third-place finish last Friday in Fayetteville, Ark., the highest ever by a UTA team at the South Central meet.
"It was an epic performance," Sauerhage said. "It was the greatest day in the team's history and will help us so much in recruiting."
The top 40 finishers among the more than 250 runners competing at the NCAA Championships will earn All-America status. The field includes 31 teams (with seven runners on each team), as well as 38 individuals.
The Mavericks' previous participants at the NCAA Cross Country Championships include Mark Newland (1977), Ben Melly (1987) and Henrik Skoog (1998).
Guerrero and Lautenslager will race Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT) at Indiana State University's LaVern Gibson Championship Course. The 10k meet will be broadcast live online here via NCAA.com and FloTrack. In addition, live results will be available here.
--www.UTAMavs.com--
