nd Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) Cross Country
In the men’s 8k, the Lions beat out Division II UT-Permian Basin and TAMU-Kingville by a close 11 points to land themselves in second place to last year’s defending NCCAA National Champions, Dallas Baptist University. The Lions were led by senior Jerry Nava with a time of 27:16. Red shirt Freshman Robert Herrera finished with a time of 27:20, followed by junior Adrian Cedillo (27:25), sophomore Cody Walker (27:33), and senior Jose Campos (28:06).
“The men did great,” says SAGU Coach Jason Covarrubias. “It is hard to run an 8k straight out of the gate, but for our men, it was a must. Our schedule got thrown for a loop when the University of Arkansas announced that their course will be a 10k rather than the usual 8k. We needed this distance and they stepped up to the challenge.”
Based off of past results, the men’s team ran the best team average in school history all in the first meet. “We just have to keep grinding, stay healthy, and stay humbled,” stated Coach Covarrubias.
In the woman’s 5k, the lady lions were led by senior Fille (Fifi) Kinyamahanga who finished in 31 st place with a time of 22:41. She was followed by sophomore Cailtin Cruz (24:17), freshman Destiny Barclift (24:37), sophomore Keila Padilla (25:48), and junior Kaitlyn Canales (27:38).
“We got exactly what we needed out of this race. We needed to put on our uniform and transition from preseason training to see exactly where we were. I don’t know what it is but when the uniform goes on, something special happens on that course. The training begins to reveal itself mile after mile,” says Coach Covarrubias.
In Covarrubias’ opinion, the women performed well despite that they ran without their number 5 runner due to precautionary purposes regarding a minor knee injury. Regardless, the women stepped up to the task. Coach Covarrubias finished by stating, “It’s going to be a good year for the ladies! Once they get used to competing, they will be fine.”
In two weeks, on Saturday 16, 2017, the SAGU lions will run at the North Texas Ken Garland Invitational in Denton, Texas.
Southwestern Assemblies of God University is a private, Christian university located 30 minutes south of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Waxahachie, Texas. The university was established in 1927, and now offers more than 70 associate, bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees on campus or online. More information is available at www.sagu.edu or by calling 1-888-YES-SAGU.
Contact: Jose Campos, SAGU Assistant SID, [email protected]
