Results

ABILENE, Texas – If history repeats itself in a month, the UIW men's cross country team will be your 2017 Southland Conference champions, as the Cardinals finished first overall at the Abilene Christian Naimadu Classic Saturday morning. ACU hosts this year's cross country championships.

HOW IT HAPPENED
 

Junior Deion Hardy ran a 25:27.8 in the 8k to finish first overall and claim the individual championship. The time was not a PR – he ran a 25:08.3 at the UIW Invite last year – but it was the Temple, Texas, native's first individual win in the sport. Hardy defeated Stephen F. Austin's Erich Rotich by two seconds for the victory.

Junior Garett Cortez fared just as well, placing third overall with a 25:47.6 clocking. Junior Adam Herrera (5^th; 26:12.2), sophomore Tyler Martin (9^th; 26:35.6), and sophomore Israel Orihuela (10^th; 26:37.7) rounded out the Top-10.

The women placed third overall in the 6k, as they were led by junior Emily Wilson with a time of 22:32, good for sixth overall.  Junior Danielle Martinez (8^th) earned a Top-10 finish with a 23:00.3 showing.

QUOTES

Head coach Derek Riedel on the men's performance:
"I'm proud of the men's effort this morning. It wasn't our best day, and some of the men struggled more than usual, but they ran with confidence and poise and their depth paid off with the victory over two good teams. The men love each other; they do everything together. It's days like today where that bond pays offs. They backed each other up and guys stepped up when others had off days. Deion Hardy had the breakthrough we've always known was coming. It was a poised performance for him. We're excited for the Arkansas meet so the men can compete against nationally ranked teams on a fast course."

Riedel on the women's showing:
"The women did exactly what we planned to do and that was go out aggressively and under control through the first mile. We weren't our sharpest in the middle of the race, and that hurt us in the team finish. We will work on the middle of the race so we can capitalize on our strong finishes. ACU and SFA are strong teams. They showed their depth and strength, so we know we have some work to do. Emily Wilson did a good job of leading the women for the first time."

UP NEXT

UIW will compete at the Arkansas Chili Pepper Festival on Saturday, September 30.

STAY TUNED

The Cardinals host the 12^th annual UIW Invitational on Saturday, October 7 at Live Oak City Park.

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