Aggies Record Best Team Finishes in Over Seven Years at SEC Championships

Friday, October 27

West Columbia, S.C.

9:00 AM

Texas A&M

SEC Championship

Oct 27, 2023 | Cross Country

Photo Gallery

By: Sam Thornton, Athletics Communications

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Texas A&M cross country teams recorded their best team finishes in over seven years, as the men placed fourth and the women sixth Friday morning at the SEC Championships hosted by the University of South Carolina.

The men's squad compiled 140 points for the fourth place team finish, their best result since 2015, while the women's team tallied 181 points for a sixth place team finish, its best since 2014.

Leading the Maroon & White throughout the 8k course was Eric Casarez, he clocked a time of 23:14.9 securing a 10th place finish and Second-Team All-SEC honors. Cooper Cawthra was the second Aggie to cross the finish line placing 24th with a time of 24:03.4. Jonathan Chung (33rd, 24:17.9) finished just ahead of Joseph Benn who secured 35th with a time of 24:23.7. Rounding out the scoring for the Aggies was Jack Johnston who placed 43rd with a time of 24:41.5 and earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team.

"We did everything we could have done today," distance coach Wendel McRaven said. "The men went out really fast and ran people down. We had a lot of men that stepped up and were tough throughout the race and that's a sign of a good team. It goes to show the toughness and the culture that the men's team have, and I am very pleased with how they ran today."

In the women's race, Maddie Livingston paced the Aggies and crossed the line in 24th at the end of the 6k race with a time of 20:41.8. Behind Livingston, Kennady Fontenot ran 20:52.9 to earn 29th place, followed by Madison Brown who clocked a time of 21:01.2 securing a 34th place finish. Shewaye Johnson (48th, 21:25.2) and Emma Little (52nd, 21:29.9) ran down the finish line to round out the scoring for the Aggies.

"Every year out of the last three years we have gotten better," McRaven added. "The women did a fantastic job and came back early and fought throughout the race and kept moving up. It is a testament to them getting the most out of themselves and racing up to their potential. I am very proud of how they raced today."

UP NEXT
The Texas A&M cross country teams head back on the road for the NCAA South Central Regional held in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with sights set on NCAA Championships qualification.

FULL RESULTS
In the men's event, Arkansas claimed the team win with 38 points. Alabama secured second (57), Tennessee in third (59) and Texas A&M in fourth (140). Concluding the men's results were Auburn (148), Ole Miss (169), Florida (194), Kentucky (197), Missouri (232), Georgia (250), LSU (370) and finally Vanderbilt (375).

Winning the women's event was Florida with 49 points, followed by Arkansas in second (59), Tennessee in third (80), Alabama in fourth (84), Ole Miss in fifth (107), and Texas A&M finishing sixth (181). Rounding out the results were Vanderbilt (258), South Carolina (262), Missouri (265), LSU (278), Auburn (283), Kentucky (292), Mississippi State (329) and concluding the scoring was Georgia (371).

SEASON RECORDS
Women's
John McKenzie Invitational – 1^st place – 5-0
Texas A&M Invitational – 1^st place – 13-0
Battle in Beantown – 3^rd place – 13-2
Arturo Barrios Invitational – 7^th place – 35-6
SEC Championships – 6^th place – 8-5
Overall record – 74-13

Men's
John McKenzie Invitational – 1^st place – 5-0
Texas A&M Invitational – 1^st place – 12-0
Battle in Beantown – 5^th place – 9-4
Arturo Barrios Invitational – 4^th place – 35-3
SEC Championships – 4^th place – 8-3
Overall record – 69-10

To learn more about Texas A&M Track & Field/Cross Country, head to 12thMan.com and follow @aggietfxc.