Aggie cross country starts season with home meet on Friday versus Lamar, UTSA

COLLEGE STATION – Cross country season begins on Friday evening for the Aggies as they host the Texas A&M Aggie Opener at 6:45 p.m. on the Dale Watts Cross Country course.
 
Visiting teams include Lamar and UTSA as they race over a 4,000-meter course for the women and a 6,000-meter course for the men. It will be the first of three meets Texas A&M hosts this fall, with the other dates being September 24 (Texas A&M Invitational) and October 7 (Texas A&M Aggieland Open).
 
"It's really a chance, as a rust-buster, to go through the routine of warming-up, putting on the uniform and working on parts of our race strategy," said Texas A&M assistant coach Wendel McRaven. "We are transitioning back into racing after training during the summer."

The Watts course is located within the Hildebrand Equine Complex at 3242 F and B Road. The facility is accessible from F and B Road off the corner intersection with 2818.
 
Preseason regional rankings released by USTFCCCA on Monday have the Texas A&M men ranked No. 3 and the women No. 6 in the South Central region. The top ranked teams include Arkansas and Texas in both the men's and women's South Central region rankings.
 
Within the SEC, the preseason coaches rankings have the Aggie men No. 3 and the women No. 8. Arkansas is favored in both the men's and women's preseason rankings over Mississippi men and Vanderbilt women. The conference championships will be hosted by the Razorbacks on Oct. 28 in Fayetteville.
 
"Our men are very experienced, it's a veteran team on the men's side," McRaven noted. "On the women's side we also have some veterans, and also have a few people who weren't 100 percent healthy last season that are healthy now. Plus, we always have newcomers to add to the mix. The freshman class on the women's side I'm really excited about. It's a really good freshman class that is a little bit under the radar."
 
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION RANKINGS
2016 Preseason, Aug. 29, 2017
 
MEN

1. Arkansas
2. Texas
3. Texas A&M
4. SFA
5. Lamar
6. UT-Arlington
7. Baylor
8. McNeese State
9. North Texas
10. Houston
11. Rice
12. UTSA
13. Texas A&M – Corpus Christi
14. Arkansas State
15. Sam Houston State 

WOMEN

1. Arkansas
2. Texas
3. Rice
4. SMU
5. Baylor
6. Texas A&M
7. SFA
8. Lamar
9. UT-Arlington
10. North Texas
11. Houston
12. McNeese State
13. Tulane
14. Arkansas State
15. UTSA 

SEC Cross Country Coaches Preseason Poll
 

MEN	Pts.
1. Arkansas	14
2. Mississippi	21
3. Texas A&M	36
4. Kentucky	49
5. Florida	67
tie, Missouri	67
7. Alabama	79
8. Auburn	86
tie, Georgia	86
10. Mississippi State	115
11. Tennessee	118
12. LSU	134
13. Vanderbilt	142

 

WOMEN	Pts.
1. Arkansas	13
2. Vanderbilt	35
3. Mississippi State	46
4. Florida	51
5. Mississippi	64
6. Missouri	66
7. Alabama	91
8. Texas A&M	100
9. Auburn	101
10. Kentucky	110
11. Georgia	134
12. Tennessee	143
13. South Carolina	151
14. LSU	169