Waxahachie, Texas- September 2, 2015- The Southwestern Assemblies of God University (SAGU) cross country team ended the 2014 season in a big way, when nine athletes participated in the National Christian College Athletics Association (NCCAA) Cross Country Championships . The 2015 season will be the third year for SAGU cross country, and for those involved, they are working to make the third year a charm.
“I really think we are going to be good,” says head coach Jason Covarrubias , “The kids all came in with their summer miles completed and we are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were last year. We are going to practice hard daily, pray to stay healthy, and give God the glory for the opportunity to run for Him!”
Junior captain Destiny Garza will be back after a stellar sophomore year. In the spring, Garza placed 2 nd in the nation at the NCCAA in the 10K. Covarrubias believes this year will be even better for Garza, “She is a completely different runner this semester. On her busy work days, Destiny would wake up at 3:30am to get her run in! Her ultimate goals are to win the Sooner Conference as an individual, win the NCCAA National Championship, and qualify of the NAIA National Championship.”
Last year Kelly Cook was voted Newcomer of the Year despite having an injury plagued season. In her first meet of her college career, Cook qualified for the NCCAA National Championships. Covarrubias believes she will be a runner worth watching for the Lions.
The core of the men’s team will be returning from last year. Team captain Jose Campos and sophomore Gabriel Price will both 
be returning. Covarrubias believes Price will be one to watch this season, “Gabriel took the team and put them on his back as a freshman. With one year of college experience under his belt, it could be the tipping point of his career! He has the potential to hit 26:00 in the 8k qualifying for the NAIA National Meet.”
Jerry Nava joined cross country from the soccer team last fall. Nava had no summer base under him and was SAGU’s third best runner. This year could be a breakout season for Nava.
As for new faces on the cross country team, there will be plenty to watch for. Freshman Genny McCullough comes to SAGU from one of the best programs in the state of Idaho. McCullough has dropped her time significantly since training camp began.
Junior Walker Loyd is a transfer from Clarendon College where he qualified for the National Junior College XC Championships. Covarrubias is anticipating a big year for Loyd.
For the month of August the team has been training hard. Earlier in the month, they traveled to Alpine, Texas for what Covarrubias calls the “mountain top experience”. For the four days they were in the Davis Mountains the team ran over 30 miles. They also had the privilege of ministering at Grace Christian Fellowship.
On Saturday, September 5, 2015, SAGU will run the first meet of their season at Western Texas Collage in Snyder, Texas. The meet will start at 8am.
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]
