Friday, September 16
Bryan-College Station
8:00 AM
Texas A&M
vs
Texas A&M Invitational
Eric Casarez
Photo by: Ethan Mito/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Sweep Team Titles at Texas A&M Invitational
Sep 16, 2022 | Cross Country
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas– The Texas A&M men's and women's cross country teams swept the Texas A&M Invitational team titles at the Dale Watts cross country course Friday morning.
Eric Casarez led the 1-2-3 finish for the Aggie men, defending the individual title with a time of 23:54.8 on the 8k course. Casarez, a junior, ran in the top pack before taking the lead at 5.7k, splitting 16:51, less than a second ahead of his sophomore teammate Jonathan Chung. By the end of the race, Casarez managed to open a bigger gap, crossing the line as the only finisher under the 24-minute mark. Chung finished runner-up with a 24:05.6, while Chandon Chhikara crossed the line in third place with a time of 24:10.6. Joseph Benn (fifth, 24:28.2) and Gavin Hoffpauir (sixth, 24:30.1) rounded out the scorers for the Aggies.
"It felt good to get a big team win today," Casarez said. "We didn't win this meet last year, so it was really nice to get a convincing win today. We knew we were defending our home course, so we ran together and forced the other teams to try to stick with us. We have a good group of guys. As the season continues, we're looking forward to improving together as a team."
On the women's side, the senior trifecta of Grace Plain, Julia Abell (Black), and Abbey Santoro paced the Aggies to the team title. Staying locked with the top pack early on, the trio held their ground through the finish line to earn three of the top five finishes. Plain led the way for the Aggies, finishing in third with a 17:40.5, closely followed by Abell in fourth at 17:42.6. Santoro's time of 17:55.3 was good enough for fifth, while sophomore Maddie Livingston (seventh, 18:13.0) and freshman Kennady Fontenot (tenth, 18:31.3) also ran to top ten finishes.
"The women did a good job today," distance coach Wendel McRaven said. "Our top pack stayed together early on and competed all the way to the finish line. I was impressed with Kennady Fontenot today. This was her first race in a Texas A&M uniform, and she showed up and ran really well for us."
Next Up
The Aggies travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to compete at the Paul Short Run on Friday, September 30.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Pat Henry
On the meet environment…
"When you get out here, the energy is infectious. You can really get involved in what's going on. It's almost like you're a participant and you feel like you're a part of the race. It's great to see a big crowd of people here watching the meet."
On the course…
"This is a tremendous course. There aren't many better than it. We are very thankful for the Watts and McFerrin family for helping us to build this course. It's a tribute to Texas A&M."
Distance Coach Wendel McRaven
on the team's depth…
"We have some really good depth on the team. For us to be as good as we want to be, everybody has to be moving forward. Everybody has to have the same accountability. the twentieth runner should be held to the same standard as the top runner. That's what makes Coach Henry such a unique coach in the sense that he holds everyone to the same standard. You can see that play out with this team."
To learn more about Texas A&M Track & Field/Cross Country, log on to 12thMan.com and follow @aggietfxc.
Eric Casarez led the 1-2-3 finish for the Aggie men, defending the individual title with a time of 23:54.8 on the 8k course. Casarez, a junior, ran in the top pack before taking the lead at 5.7k, splitting 16:51, less than a second ahead of his sophomore teammate Jonathan Chung. By the end of the race, Casarez managed to open a bigger gap, crossing the line as the only finisher under the 24-minute mark. Chung finished runner-up with a 24:05.6, while Chandon Chhikara crossed the line in third place with a time of 24:10.6. Joseph Benn (fifth, 24:28.2) and Gavin Hoffpauir (sixth, 24:30.1) rounded out the scorers for the Aggies.
"It felt good to get a big team win today," Casarez said. "We didn't win this meet last year, so it was really nice to get a convincing win today. We knew we were defending our home course, so we ran together and forced the other teams to try to stick with us. We have a good group of guys. As the season continues, we're looking forward to improving together as a team."
On the women's side, the senior trifecta of Grace Plain, Julia Abell (Black), and Abbey Santoro paced the Aggies to the team title. Staying locked with the top pack early on, the trio held their ground through the finish line to earn three of the top five finishes. Plain led the way for the Aggies, finishing in third with a 17:40.5, closely followed by Abell in fourth at 17:42.6. Santoro's time of 17:55.3 was good enough for fifth, while sophomore Maddie Livingston (seventh, 18:13.0) and freshman Kennady Fontenot (tenth, 18:31.3) also ran to top ten finishes.
"The women did a good job today," distance coach Wendel McRaven said. "Our top pack stayed together early on and competed all the way to the finish line. I was impressed with Kennady Fontenot today. This was her first race in a Texas A&M uniform, and she showed up and ran really well for us."
Next Up
The Aggies travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to compete at the Paul Short Run on Friday, September 30.
Texas A&M Quotes
Head Coach Pat Henry
On the meet environment…
"When you get out here, the energy is infectious. You can really get involved in what's going on. It's almost like you're a participant and you feel like you're a part of the race. It's great to see a big crowd of people here watching the meet."
On the course…
"This is a tremendous course. There aren't many better than it. We are very thankful for the Watts and McFerrin family for helping us to build this course. It's a tribute to Texas A&M."
Distance Coach Wendel McRaven
on the team's depth…
"We have some really good depth on the team. For us to be as good as we want to be, everybody has to be moving forward. Everybody has to have the same accountability. the twentieth runner should be held to the same standard as the top runner. That's what makes Coach Henry such a unique coach in the sense that he holds everyone to the same standard. You can see that play out with this team."
To learn more about Texas A&M Track & Field/Cross Country, log on to 12thMan.com and follow @aggietfxc.
Players Mentioned
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