San Antonio - The Trinity Tigers will defend their titles Saturday, November 2, at the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Cross Country Championships at Shreveport, Louisiana.

Centenary College is the host for the event, to be held at the Clyde Fant Disc Course. The women's 6k race starts at 9:00 a.m., and the men's 8k at 10:00 a.m.

Trinity history was made in 2012 at Irving, Texas, as the Tiger teams captured their first-ever SCAC Cross Country Championships. Guided by Head Coach Derick Lawrence, and Assistant Coach Emily Daum, both Trinity squads exhibited milestone performances.

Trinity became the first women's team to earn a perfect score of 15 at the SCAC Championship. In addition the Tigers placed Nos. 1-5, and nine runners earned All-SCAC honors.

Vanessa Moreno was named SCAC Runner of the Year by winning the race with a time of 23:26.02. It marked the third time a Tiger runner garnered the top award. In 2011, Maddie Murphy won the event, and Coach Daum (Loeffler) captured the title in 2007.

Murphy finished as runner-up (23:39.00) last year, while Jessica Pagano was third (24:07.60), and Rosemary Steup placed fourth (24:15.41). Jackie Newell came in at No. 5 (24:16.54), Jessie Dean was ninth (24:28.61), Nicola Hill placed 11th (24:57.14), Michelle Oberndorf was 13th (25.19.86), and Mariana Sigala came in at No. 14 (25:41.04).

All of the 2012 SCAC women's honorees return for this year's championship. Trinity's women's team is currently ranked No. 13 in the nation by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Tiger men broke a streak of three straight SCAC Championships by Colorado College. Trinity had eight runners in the All-SCAC column, led by Francisco Escobedo, who finished second (26:59.15). Robert Edmonds was just behind Escobedo, clocking in at 27:17.04. Sal Perdomo registered a time of 27:25.56 for sixth place. Escobedo, Edmonds, and Perdomo have since graduated.

Former Tiger Mark Greene was seventh (27:43.87), while returnees Gerardo Hernandez (27:54.79) and Taylor Piske (27:57.75), finished eighth and ninth, respectively. Christian Soto, who finished in the No. 13 slot (28:20.54) is also back on the championship team, as is the No. 14 runner Connor Amoruso (28:23.28).

Coach Lawrence was elected the SCAC Men's and Women's Coach of the Year.

Following the 2012 SCAC Championships, Trinity's women's team placed 12th at the NCAA Division III Championships at Terre Haute, Ind. It marked the second-best finish in school history, surpassed only by the 2008 squad's sixth-place performance.

The Tiger men, competing for the first time at the national meet as a team, came in at the No. 32 slot.

Trinity's women's team was ranked 19th in the nation, and was racing in 18th place halfway through the 6k event. The Tigers jumped out to 12th place, narrowly missing a berth in the top-10.

Moreno was 43rd in the individual meet, for the third-best finish in Trinity history. Murphy came in at No. 51, while Steup was 80th. Also scoring for the Tigers were Pagano and Newell. Dean and Hill rounded out Trinity's seven competitors.

Escobedo was the top men's runner, followed by Edmonds and Perdomo. Greene and Piske finished within two places of each other, followed closely by Hernandez and Soto.

The Tiger women's unit qualified for nationals by winning the NCAA South/Southeast Regional in Atlanta for the third time, with a superb score of 39. Trinity previously won the regional in 2004 and 2008, and also qualified for the NCAAs in 2006 and 2007. Seven women's runners earned All-Region honors, the most in Trinity history for a single season.

Moreno and Murphy finished second and third, respectively, while Steup was sixth.  Newell came in at No. 13, and Pagano placed 17th.  Hill and Dean ran 26th and 29th, rounding out the Tiger All-Region honorees.

For his outstanding leadership, Coach Lawrence was named the South/Southeast Region Women's Coach of the Year.

The Tiger men spring boarded to nationals with a runner-up finish, along with placing five competitors in the All-Region column. Perdomo was the top runner for Trinity, with a 10th-place finish. Escobedo and Edmonds were 12th and 13th, while Piske placed 16th.

This year, Trinity's women's squad has captured three team titles, including the Alamo City Opener and UTSA Ricardo Romo Classic (among non-Division I teams) in San Antonio, along with the Hanover Pre-Nationals at Hanover, Ind. The Tigers placed second at the Concordia Invitational at Pflugerville, Texas.

Moreno won the Alamo City Opener individual championship, and Murphy took the UTSA Ricardo Romo Classic.

The Tiger men won two team titles this season, both in San Antonio: the Alamo City Opener and the UTSA Ricardo Romo Classic. Trinity placed 10th at the Hanover Pre-Nationals at Hanover, Ind.  Piske emerged as the winner of the Alamo City Opener and the UTSA Ricardo Romo Classic (non-Division I teams).

The NCAA South/Southeast Regional is slated for Nov. 16 at Newport News, Virginia; while the NCAA Championships are scheduled for Nov. 23 at Hanover.