University of Houston Athletics
University of Houston
The American Championship
Cougar Men 3rd, Women 9th at American Championships
10/31/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
HOUSTON -- The Houston Cougar men's and women's cross country teams opened postseason competition by finishing third and ninth respectively at the 2015 American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships in Grimesland, N.C., on Saturday.
The Cougar men finished with 101 points overall for their second consecutive third place finish at the American Championships, while the women finished with 201 points. The men combined to run an average time of 24:37 in the 8K, while the women ran the 6K on average in 22:17.
Junior Brian Barraza finished as the Cougars' top runner for the fourth time this season after running a 23:45 to finish in fourth place. Barraza was joined in the top-10 by senior Yonas Tesfai who finished ninth in 24:10. Barraza and Tesfai each earned All-American Athletic Conference honors for their performances.
Senior James Broussard finished 16th in 24:36, while sophomores Blake Contreras (24:57) and Chris Ibarra (25:39) finished 29th and 48th respectively to round out the scoring for the men.
Junior Maddie Brown continued her impressive season finishing as the top Houston women's runner for the fifth time in as many races this season. Brown ran 21:41 to finish 24th in the 6K. Freshman Meredith Sorensen finished right on Brown's heels in 21:57 to finish 30th, while sophomore Ebony White finished 46th in 22:29. Finishing just behind White, freshman Britani Gonzales (52nd) and sophomore Emely Morgado (54th) rounded out the scoring by running 22:38 and 22:40 respectively.
FINAL RESULTS
Houston Men
4. Brian Barraza -- 23:45.01
9. Yonas Tesfai -- 24:10.33
16. James Broussard -- 24:36.24
28. Blake Contreras -- 24:57.35
44. Chris Ibarra -- 25:39.55
45. Edwin Munoz -- 25:45.51
50. Gabe Lara -- 26:04.79
Houston Women
24. Maddie Brown -- 21:41.05
30. Meredith Sorensen -- 21:57.12
45. Ebony White -- 22:29.38
50. Brittani Gonzales -- 22:38.76
52. Emely Morgado -- 22:40.34
55. Nikita Prasad -- 22:45.60
63. Jennifer Dunlap -- 23:06.58
Men Team Standings
1. Tulsa -- 22 points
2. UConn -- 96 points
3. Houston -- 101 points
4. Temple -- 110 points
5. Cincinnati -- 119 points
6. Tulane -- 152 points
7. East Carolina -- 153 points
8. USF -- 194 points
9. Memphis -- 230 points
Women Team Standings
1. Tulsa -- 46 points
2. SMU -- 68 points
3. UConn -- 73 points
4. East Carolina -- 148 points
5. USF -- 162 points
6. Memphis -- 185 points
7. UCF -- 188 points
7. Tulane -- 188 points
9. Houston -- 201 points
10. Temple -- 210 points
11. Cincinnati -- 227 points
UP NEXT FOR HOUSTON
The Cougars will have two weeks to train before continuing postseason competition at the 2015 NCAA South Central Regional. The regional will be held on the campus of Texas A&M University on Friday Nov. 13 and is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
STAY CONNECTED
Follow Houston Cross Country on Twitter @UHCougarXC and "Like" /HoustonCougarCrossCountry on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
