Richarson - Texas A&M Kingsville's Men's Cross Country team has been picked to finish 11th in the Lone Star Conference while the Women's team is slated to take 12th in the 2024 season.
Based on voting by the conference's head coaches and sports information staff, the men received 89 points and are slotted to finish ahead of Eastern New Mexico and Sul Ross State in the LSC standings. The women received 168 points and are predicted to finish ahead of Eastern New Mexico, UT Permian Basin, and Sul Ross State.
Four Javelinas, two from the men's team and two from the women's, were named Runners to Watch in the 2024 season by the same poll.
A pair of underclassmen Javelinass highlighted the men's Runner's to Watch, as sophomore Abner Villanueva and freshman Nirmit Dahiya made the list for TAMUK. The women's selections, on the other hand, are more experienced, Junior Ivanova Yanes and Senior Maya Espinosa, who are both Florida natives, were selected. Yanes' sophomore season saw her selected as the 2023 LSC Women's Cross Country Academic Athlete of the Year.
The men's team finished in 12th among the 13 teams competing at the LSC Conference Championship Meet last year while the runners from the Javelina women's team competed as individuals in the meet.
The Preeseason poll slates West Texas A&M to defend its conference title on both the men's and the women's sides. The men received 325 points and 24 of the 26 possible first-place votes while the women collected 444 points and 25 of 30 possible first-place votes.
On the women's side, Dallas Baptist took home four of the remaining five first-place votes and slotted in just behind West Texas A&M with 416 points. Midwestern State is picked third with 355 points while St. Edward's (322pts) holds fourth place by just four points over Oklahoma Christian (318pts), who was picked in the fifth slot.
Dallas Baptist is slotted in the second spot on the men's side as well, receiving 303 points and one of the two first-place votes not given to West Texas A&M. Oklahoma Christian (258pts), Western New Mexico (240pts), and St. Edward's (226pts) hold the third, fourth, and fifth spots respectively.
LSC Cross Country begins competition the weekend of September 5th and will conclude with the Conference Championship which will be run on Saturday, October 26. Texas A&M Kingsville will host the meet.
