RICHARDSON, Texas – The 2016 American Southwest Conference Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships are set to run Saturday (Oct. 29) in Austin, Texas on the Balcones-Spicewood Cross Country Course hosted by Concordia University Texas.
The UT Tyler men’s team has won 10 of the last 11 ASC championships and the last six consecutive dating back to 2010. The Patriot men have two first-place team scores this fall, and freshman Will McIlroy leads with two top-fives. An ASC Runner of the Week selection (Oct. 3), McIlroy will attempt to become the sixth consecutive UT Tyler men’s runner to claim medalist honors at the ASC Championship and the 10th overall.
The UT Tyler women’s team has won the last three ASC titles. The Patriot women have one first-place finish and one runner-up score led by junior Rachel Willis and senior Holly Nohavitza. Willis leads the UT Tyler women with four top-10 times including two top-five finishes. An ASC Runner of the Week selection (Oct. 3), Nohavitza claims three top-10 finishes with two runner-up scores. Both runners will look to extend the streak of three consecutive UT Tyler women ASC medalists.
In the men’s race LeTourneau senior Taber Miyauchi returns as the highest scoring runner from the 2015 ASC Championship at third overall. Miyauchi led the YellowJackets to their second runner-up team score in the last three ASC championship meets. A five-time ASC Runner of the Week, Miyauchi recorded five top-five times this fall and finished first at the ASC Preview, the site of the 2016 ASC Championship.
Finishing as the runner-up in the last two ASC championship meets the UT Dallas women’s team returns with hopes of capturing its first conference championship. The Comets have won two events this fall and junior Lindsey Rayborn, and freshman Hollee Ratliff lead. Rayborn placed fifth at the 2015 ASC Championship, is a three-time ASC Runner of the Week recipient and took first place in two meets. Ratliff has two top-three times including a runner-up finish at the ASC Preview finishing behind Rayborn.
The women’s race features a return of five of the top six runners from the 2015 ASC Championship led by McMurry senior Kirsten DeFrance, who ran as a non-scoring runner but finished second unofficially. Concordia Texas sophomore Emily Villines scored as the runner-up, and UT Dallas junior Samantha Tschirhart placed third. East Texas Baptist senior Shelby Spencer finished fourth and had two ASC Runner of the Week awards this fall.
Twelve ASC institutions – Concordia Texas, East Texas Baptist, Hardin-Simmons, LeTourneau, Louisiana College, McMurry, Univ. of Ozarks, Sul Ross State, UT Dallas and UT Tyler comprise the men’s and women’s championship field. Belhaven will run as a non-scoring team while McMurry resumes its eligibility to contend for the ASC Championship.
Notes: No admission charged. The women’s 6k race will begin at 8:15 a.m. and the men’s 8k race will start approximately at 9:00 a.m. The awards presentation will begin approximately at 10:15 a.m. following the completion of the men’s 8k race. The 2016 ASC Championships is the first to be hosted by Concordia University Texas. The 2016 NCAA Division III Cross Country South / Southeast Region Championships, which are open meets, will run November 12 at the Berry College Clara Bowl in Mount Berry, Georgia. Berry College will serve as the event host. The NCAA Division III Cross Country National Championships will run November 19 at E.P. Tom Sawyer Park in Louisville, Kentucky. Spalding University and the Louisville Sports Commission will serve as host.
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Men’s Team Champions
1996 | Ozarks |
1997 | Mississippi College |
1998 | Mississippi College |
1999 | McMurry |
2000 | McMurry |
2001 | Mississippi College |
2002 | Mississippi College |
2003 | Mississippi College |
2004 | Mississippi College |
2005 | Texas-Tyler |
2006 | Texas-Tyler |
2007 | Texas-Tyler |
2008 | Texas-Tyler |
2009 | Mississippi College |
2010 | Texas-Tyler |
2011 | Texas-Tyler |
2012 | Texas-Tyler |
2013 | Texas-Tyler |
2014 | Texas-Tyler |
2015 | Texas-Tyler |
Men’s Individual Champions
1996 | Mitchell Wolowicz, McMurry (24:40.5 – 5 mile) |
1997 | Seth Jones, Mississippi College (31:54.00 – 8K) |
1998 | David Chandler, McMurry (27:17.70 – 8K) |
1999 | Tom Hanes, Mississippi College (26:56.20 – 8K) |
2000 | David Chandler, McMurry (27:31.00 – 8K) |
2001 | Justin Jernigan, Mississippi College (26:55.38 – 8K) |
2002 | Braegan Enright, McMurry (27:23.00 – 8K) |
2003 | Justin Rogers, Mississippi College (27:40.96 – 8K) |
2004 | Mathew Manning, Mississippi College (27:37.00 – 8K) |
2005 | Mathew Manning, Mississippi College (25:50.46 – 8K) |
2006 | Ben Donnan, Texas-Tyler (26:16.00 – 8K) |
2007 | Ben Donnan, Texas-Tyler (25:46.34 – 8K) |
2008 | Warren Brown, Texas-Tyler (26:06 – 8K) |
2009 | Tino Gonzalez, Mississippi College (28:02.32 – 8K) |
2010 | Jeff Chandler, Texas-Tyler (26:20.00 – 8K) |
2011 | Ross Renfroe, Texas-Tyler (25:42.30 – 8K) $ |
2012 | Nick Huff, Texas-Tyler (26:12.97 – 8k) |
2013 | Nick Huff, Texas-Tyler (26:43.73 – 8k) |
2014 | Conner Benson, Texas-Tyler (26:44.22 – 8k) |
2015 | Matthew Markert, Texas-Tyler (27:36.00 – 8k) |
$8k ASC Championship Record
Women’s Team Champions
1996 | Austin College |
1997 | Mississippi College |
1998 | Mississippi College |
1999 | Mississippi College |
2000 | Mississippi College |
2001 | Mississippi College |
2002 | Texas Lutheran |
2003 | Texas Lutheran |
2004 | Texas Lutheran |
2005 | Mississippi College |
2006 | McMurry |
2007 | Mississippi College |
2008 | Mississippi College |
2009 | Texas-Tyler |
2010 | Hardin-Simmons |
2011 | Concordia Texas |
2012 | Mississippi College |
Texas Lutheran (Co-champs) | |
2013 | Texas-Tyler |
2014 | Texas-Tyler |
2015 | Texas-Tyler |
Women’s Individual Champions
1996 | Alisha Rygh, Howard Payne (20:25.00 – 5K) |
1997 | Julie Schmidt, Mississippi College (23:31.00 – 5K) |
1998 | Sheila Hynum, Mississippi College (19:40.33 – 5K) |
1999 | Sheila Hynum, Mississippi College (21:07.10 – 5K) |
2000 | Nicole Hollifield, Mississippi College (19:29.00 – 5K) |
2001 | Nicole Hollifield, Mississippi College (19:07.64 – 5K) |
2002 | Amanda Ward, McMurry (24:50.00 – 6K) |
2003 | Samara Williams, Texas Lutheran (24:19.89 – 6K) |
2004 | Samara Williams, Texas Lutheran (24:44.00 – 6K) |
2005 | Rachel Hardin, Mississippi College (24:09.78 – 6K) |
2006 | Carla Lewis, McMurry (24:11.00 – 6K) |
2007 | Magan Saenz, Texas Lutheran (24:16.65 – 6K) |
2008 | Kellie Kirby, Mississippi College (24:36.60 – 6K) |
2009 | Carla Lewis, McMurry (25:01.52 – 6K) |
2010 | Lindsey Hinton, Hardin-Simmons (23:14.00 – 6K) |
2011 | Alaisha Guerra, McMurry (23:54.18 – 6K) |
2012 | Nicole Leman, LeTourneau (22:39.95 – 6k) $ |
2013 | Carly Kitts, Texas-Tyler (23:29.20 – 6K) |
2014 | Carly Kitts, Texas-Tyler (23:10.16 – 6K) |
2015 | Brittany Brunson, Texas-Tyler (24:57.31 – 6K) |
$6k ASC Championship Record