GEORGETOWN, Texas – The Trinity cross country teams traveled to Southwestern University today for the SAA Conference Championships and came away with two titles to show for it. The Tigers are the first non-football Trinity teams to win SAA titles, marking the start of a legacy that is sure to fill up the Bell Center trophy cases.
The men raced first, entering as the underdogs to reigning champions Berry College. The name of the game was to put as many guys in front of their fourth runner as possible, and they executed perfectly. Leaning on some huge freshmen performances from
Eli Bliss (Garden Ridge, Texas / Davenport), who finished 6th in 25:46, and
George Mikhael (Livermore, Calif. / Granada), who finished 8th in 25:56, they came away with a statement win.
The Tigers scored 48 points, trailed by Centre College's 75 and Berry's 77. Their top five average of 25:57 was the fastest of the year. Bliss,
Nathaniel Trevino (San Antonio, Texas / Central Catholic), who finished 7th in 23:53 and Mikheal received Second Team All-SAA honors.
Thomas Melina Raab (Austin, Texas / McCallum), who finished 11th in 26:03, was named Honorable Mention All-SAA.
The women raced next, heavily favored to come away with the win. With lofty expectations, the Tigers still overperformed.
Gianna Keena (Lakeway, Texas / Lake Travis), to no one's surprise, found herself in the top pack, finishing 4th in 22:31. After her, it was a sea of maroon, leaving no chance for another team to steal points, much less the win.
Anne Snider (Waco, Texas / Live Oak Classical) finished 5th in 22:52,
Kate Boone (Temple, Texas / Holy Trinity Catholic) finished 6th in 22:53,
Sophie Muñoz (Austin, Texas / Austin) finished 7th in 23:05,
Avery Hand (Abiquiu, N.M. / Terrell Academy) finished 8th in 23:08 and
Emerson Voldan (Arlington, Texas / Mansfield Summit) finished 9th in 23:11.
The Tigers put up a dominating 30 points, followed by Centre's 57 and Rhodes College's 65. Their top five average of 22:54 was the fastest of the year. Keena received First Team All-SAA honors. Snider, Boone, Muñoz, Hand and Voldan recieved Second Team All-SAA honors.
Ciara Catton (Leander, Texas / Leander), who finished 15th in 23:29, was named Honorable Mention All-SAA.
On a Texas-style course with tough footing and challenging uphills, it was the Tigers of Texas that were the most prepared. Whether it was the season's hills or Thursday night's desserts at Trinity VP of Finance Mark Detterick's house that played a more pivotal role in the win, we may never know.
Next up for the Tigers is the D-III West Regional Championships in Claremont, California on November 15. The men are currently ranked 10th in the region, but today's result, recording a faster top 5 average than all but four other schools in the West, could move them up. The women will be looking for their first nationals bid as a team since 2017. They are currently ranked 4th in the region, in a prime position to earn a bid to the DIII National Championships.
