Irving, Texas- October 17, 2015- The Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) cross country teams got to stay closer to home to participate in a meet at the University of Dallas.  For the third week meet in a row junior Destiny Garza took first place.

Normally the women’s team runs a 5K and the men’s team runs an 8k.  During this meet, both teams participated in a 5K.

“It was a speed day and one we could use for training,” says head coach Jason Covarubbias , “We systematically planed for them to run the way they did.  They went out super-fast on purpose, which is different than a normal race.  In the end, it will make us better.”

Garza defied the odds and had a personal record on a course that is known as “no PR hill”.  The course gained the notoriety for its brutal terrain.  She finished in 18:20 and ranked first out of 59 runners. Kelly Cook finished 10, coming in at 21:09, followed closely by Genny McCullough at 21:13.  The Lady Lions finished third place out of seven teams overall.

The Lions finished second place with only 12 points away from the top spot.  J erry Nava finished second out of 65, coming in at 16:28. Walker Loyd finished fourth at 16:38.

As Coach Covarrubias states, from here on out, they will all be championship races.  On Saturday, October 24 ^th , 2015, SAGU will run at the NAIA Mid-States Classic in Winfield Classic.  They will be competing against nearly 50 other NAIA schools.

As for what we can expect in the next two races, Covarrubias believes this is the best SAGU has ever looked, “We are leaps and bounds more prepared and better than we were last year.  Our guys are coming in healthy and that is huge.  The girls are also tons better.”

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: Natalie Tristan, SAGU SID, [email protected]