ARLINGTON, Texas – The UT Arlington cross country teams will be back in full effect as the 2024 season kicks off this weekend.
 
The upcoming campaign is shaping up to be a promising one with five regular season meets leading up to the Western Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships along with the NCAA South Central Regionals and NCAA Championships.
 
Four of the five regular season meets are within the state of Texas while the other takes place in Oklahoma. This years WAC Championships will be in Orem, Utah, hosted by Utah Valley. The NCAA South Central Regional is taking place in College Station while the NCAA Championships are in Madison, Wisconsin.
 
The season begins with the John McKenzie Invitational (August 31) hosted by TCU. This is the second straight season the Mavericks kick off their season down in Fort Worth, with both the men and women's teams coming third last season.
 
On the men's side, TCU comes into the season ranked 13th in the South Central Regional preseason rankings while UTA comes into the season ranked ninth. On the women's side, TCU enters the year ranked seventh in the South Central Regional preseason rankings while UTA is ranked 11th.
 
UTA's Gerald Richey Invitational (September 7) falls on the second meet of the year for the second season in a row for the Mavs. The meet is named for longtime former UTA assistant track and field coach Gerald Richey who passed away in 2019. Richey is an Arlington icon, spending 26 years (1969-95) at Arlington High School before coming over to UTA where he would work for 18 years (1995-2013). Last season, both the men and women finished second overall at their home meet.
 
For the second season in a row, UTA will compete in College Station at both the Texas A&M Invitational (September 13) and the Arturo Barrios Invitational (October 18). Last season both men and women finished third overall at the Texas A&M Invitational while the women finished 19th at the Arturo Barrios Invitational while the men finished 25th overall. This marks seven straight appearances for the Mavs at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
 
Texas A&M enters the season as one of the best cross country teams in the region, with the women being ranked second in the South Central Regional preseason rankings while the men come in fourth in the rankings.
 
UTA returns to Stillwater, Oklahoma, for the first time since 2021 to participate in the Cowboy Jamboree (September 28) hosted by Oklahoma State. The Mavs jump from one tough meet to another, after originally scheduling the massive Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival hosted by Arkansas before switching.
 
Oklahoma State begins the season as one of the premier programs in the country, with the men coming into the season ranked first in the National Preseason Coaches Poll while the women come in at 15. Both squads are ranked first in the Midwest Region respectfully.
 
On the women's side, WAC foes California Baptist and Utah Valley start the season nationally ranked in the preseason polls. CBU enters the season ranked 22nd nationally and fifth in the West Region. Utah Valley comes into the year ranked 23rd nationally and fifth in the Mountain Region.
 
Last season at the WAC Championships, the women finished with 92 points and a third place finish, jumping up seven spots after finishing 10th back in 2022. The men will look to jump up from the four spot after finishing fourth since their return to the WAC two seasons ago.
   
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