A Decade in C-USA: Cross Country
UTSA Cross Country had some success in its decade as a member of Conference USA
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EDITORS NOTE: This is the fourth in a series of stories about the UTSA teams during their 10 year run as members of Conference USA.
Previously in the series: SOCCER | VOLLEYBALL | FOOTBALL
Cross Country was one of the first sports played at UTSA when the athletic program started in 1981. In the years before UTSA joined Conference USA the program had won a combined 13 conference championships in Cross Country.
The Men's team won eight conference championships and the women won five conference championships between the start of the program and the arrival in Conference USA in 2013.
In the 10 years that the UTSA Cross Country team was in Conference USA they would have one team win a conference championship. That was the 2013 women's team and it also allowed coach Scott Slade to be named the conference coach of the year.
Both teams ran in 57 meets during their time in Conference USA. The mens team won three meets, were second place in five meets and third place in seven meets. The women won three team golds, including the 2013 Conference Championship, eight second place finishes and seven third place finishes.
The men's team had 38 top 10 finishers including two individual wins, two individual second place finishers and one third place finish. The women's team had 48 top 10 finishers which includes three individual wins, six individual second place finishes and five individual third place finishes.
UTSA's men's team qualified for the NCAA South Central Regional meet nine times, including three times with just four runners and one year in which only one runner advanced. The Roadrunner men never advanced past the South Central Regional into the final NCAA Championship meet. The best finish for UTSA men at the South Central Regional was in 2022 when they finished in 13th place in the team standings.
On the women's side, UTSA qualified for the South Central Regional eight times including one season with just four runners qualifying and one season with only one runner reaching the regional. The Roadrunner women's best finish came in 2013 when they were fifth at the regional.
In the 10 years as members of Conference USA the Roadrunner Cross Country program had two head coaches. Scott Slade led the team in its first season in 2013 before leaving UTSA. In his place came David Hartman who has led the program since.
| Coach | Conf. Championships at UTSA in C-USA Era | Postseason trips in C-USA era | Years at UTSA |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Scott Slade |
1 (2013 Women's Cross Country) |
1 Mens 1 Womens |
2006-2014 |
|
David Hartman |
None |
8 Mens 7 Womens |
2014- |
Notable moments and Players
The Women's program set a high bar when it won the conference championship in its first season in Conference USA. UTSA beat Tulsa in the team standings for the crown in 2013. The highest finisher for UTSA in the 2013 conference championship meet was Nina Herrera who finished fourth.
That 2013 championship was the first conference title for the women's team since 1996 and it remains the most recent conference championship for the Roadrunner women's cross country team.
Herrera accounted for one of the three individual meet wins by a Roadrunner in the C-USA era. In 2013 Herrera won the Texas Lutheran Invitational. The other two individual meet winners were Stephanie Wangui at the 2014 Alamo City Opener and Yulisa Abundis at the 2017 Houston Baptist Invitational.
UTSA's men's cross country team had its best finish in a conference meet in 2022 when they finished fifth.
The two individual winners for UTSA men were Nathan Collier in 2013 at the Alamo City Opener and Mike Medrano at the 2014 Alamo City Opener.
In their final season as members of Conference USA the Roadrunner men had one third place finish as a team and the women had a second place finish and a third place finish as a team. The Women also had three top 10 finishers and a second place finisher individually in their final season in Conference USA.
As the Roadrunner Cross Country program prepares to enter a new conference it has a clean slate and a chance to do better than it ever could have dreamed in a decade in Conference USA.
Next in the series: Men's and Women's Basketball
FORUMS: UTSA Boulevard | Roadrunner Way