MOBILE, Ala. – The UT Arlington cross country team had three runners finish inside the Top 11 at the Sun Belt Cross Country Championships at Brookley by the Bay on Friday morning.

Led by top finishes from seniors Madeleine Rowe, Charlotte Murphy, and Valeria Diaz-Gonzales, the UTA women placed third at the event with 77 points. Sophomore Patrick Estes and junior Marquentin Barnes led the men at 20th and 21st as they finished fifth overall with a score of 134.

"The ladies ran very well, and third is a nice improvement; we were just one performance short of a title," said 33-time Coach of the Year John Sauerhage. " The men are young and ran well, but the race got away from them a little bit in the second half. We will regroup and look ahead to Regionals."

Rowe put together a tremendous race and finished strong down the stretch to shatter her personal record with a time of 17:39.0 and a fourth-place finish, nearly a 17-second difference from her previous best. Murphy also put together her best race in orange and blue as she held consistent for the entire 5k to finish seventh with a time of 17:49.6.

Diaz-Gonzales kept the Mavs rolling as she obliterated her 5k personal best with an impressive time of 18:04.1, nearly a 30-second improvement, and an 11th place finish.

All three runners earned SBC All-Conference honors. Rowe was named to the first team, Murphy earned recognition on the second team, and Diaz-Gonzales took home a spot on the third team.

Junior Mathilde Ruud placed 23rd with a time of 18:33.3 while freshman Claire Compher races to a 32nd place finish with a time of 19:09.4.

On the men's side, the duo of Estes and Barnes were side-by-side in their race, with Estes finishing with a time of 25:55.0 and Barnes close behind at 25:55.1. Freshman Alfredo Corona was close behind with a 25th place finish and a time of 26:07.9.

Rounding out the scorers on the men's side was sophomore Tyler Rodriguez with a time of 26:37.5 and freshman Jackson Cichon with a time of 26:39.3, and a 35th place finish. 

The Mavs will turn their focus to November 12 as they compete at the NCAA South Central Regional in Waco. The women will compete in a 6k while the men will turn their focus to a grueling 10k. 

Men
1) Arkansas State: 32
2) App State: 58
3) South Alabama: 69
4) Texas State: 101
5) UT Arlington: 134
6) Little Rock: 142
7) Coastal Carolina: 218
8) Troy: 234
9) Louisiana: 248
10) ULM: 254

Women
1) Arkansas State: 45
2) App State: 73
3) UT Arlington: 77
4) ULM: 121
5) Coastal Carolina: 136
6) South Alabama: 162
7) Troy: 179
8) Georgia State: 197
9) Texas State: 233
10) Little Rock: 237
11) Louisiana: 288
12) Georgia Southern: 297

FOLLOW THE MAVS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the UTA track and field and cross country teams on Twitter (@UTAMavsTFXC), Instagram (@UTAMavsTFXC) and Facebook (/UTAMavsTFXC).