XC Readies for NCAA South Central Regional

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Four weeks after recording top-20 individual finishes at the Arturo Barrios Invitational, Baylor cross country runners Ryan Day and Ellie Hodge are returning to the Dale Watts Course in Bryan-College Station for Friday's NCAA South Central Regional.
            "I've always had some of my best cross country races there, actually," said Hodge, who leads a Baylor women's team that is ranked 10^th in the region. "This is where I had my PR . . . so I've had good experiences at this course. It's funny how some people really enjoy a course and some don't. I do like the course. It's very flat. As a track runner myself, I enjoy that there aren't as many hills."
            The women's 6K race was moved up to 8:30 a.m., followed by the men's 10K race at 9:30.
            "We got to see a lot of these teams at the Texas A&M meet a few weeks ago," said second-year Baylor head coach David Barnett. "That is, essentially, a pre-regional meet. Ideally, we'd like to move up the ranks, beat a couple of the teams that maybe were ahead of us.
            "Definitely want to pack up better. Our numbers 2 through 5 (runners) are all capable of running within bout 20 seconds of each other on the women's side. On the men's side, our top three all need to be shooting to be, in my mind, all-region, which is top 25. I think it's realistic for those three guys."
            Day has been the Baylor men's lead runner in four previous meets this fall, including seventh at the Arturo Barrios in an 8K time of 23:56.6 and a career-best 22^nd-place finish at the Big 12 meet. As a team, the Bears are ranked 11^th in the South Central Regional.
            While Arkansas and Texas are the favorites to win the two qualifying team spots on both the men's and women's side, Day said it's "definitely a goal" to nab one of the four individual spots for runners outside of the two qualifying teams.
            "It's this fine balance between knowing that there's something I need to be shooting for, but not putting too much stock in it," said Day, who also placed ninth at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo. "I find that if you put too many expectations going into a race, sometimes it becomes difficult to just focus on the task at hand. It's definitely a goal, would be a lot of fun . . . but that's something I'll think about when the time comes, I guess."
            Barnett said Day's top-10 finish at the previous meet in Bryan-College Station is "pretty indicative of what he's capable of."
            "I would expect him to do the same thing and put himself in good position," Barnett said.
            Joining Davis on the men's team in Friday's 10K race are fellow grad students Ryan Hodge and Noah Monroy, a transfer from UC San Diego; sophomores Devin Duran and Drew Snyder; and true freshman Ethan Wrase.
            "It's been interesting, because there are a couple different sides of the coin here," Day said. "You have people like myself and Ryan Hodge who have done this quite a few times. And then, you have some new guys who really this is their first cross experience or maybe their second year running. A lot of these guys, this is their first regional experience, and I think that's just an important just an important stepping stone in their careers."
            The difficult test for the men is the jump from 8-kilometers at the Big 12 meet to 10K at the South Central Regional.
            "It's like adding a fifth quarter in the college football playoffs," Barnett said. "I've got some good news for you: You're going to get some free running today; no extra charge."
            At the Arturo Barrios, Ellie Hodge placed 18^th with a personal-best time of 21:03.4. Two weeks later, she was 24^th at the Big 12 meet.
            "This entire season, I've felt so content with what the last five years and just how grateful I have been for it," said Ellie, who got married this summer to cross country teammate Ryan Hodge. "As an individual, the top-25 is all-region. That's a goal that I think is attainable."
            Barnett said Ellie Hodge "brings her best and a good attitude. . . . that's always been a constant."
            Joining Hodge are fellow senior Sophia Leidner and sophomores Jordan Ledington, Cate Urbani and Hayden Gold. With sophomore Taylor Whitfield sidelined, "we don't have the same room for error," Barnett said.
            "I think everyone we have is perfectly capable of doing what we have to do," he said, "because at the end of the day they're only going to count five scores. As long as people can just step up and do what they do. . . you don't have to have a perfect day to have a great day. I think all of our women are capable of running a good race and putting up good results."
            The qualifying teams and individuals advance to the NCAA Championships Nov. 19 at the Greiner Family OSU Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Okla.

WACO, Texas – Baylor cross country makes the trek back to Bryan-College Station for the NCAA South Central Regional Meet, set to start with the women's 6k Friday morning at 8:30 a.m., followed by the men's 10k at 9:30.

"We got to see a lot of these teams at the Texas A&M meet a couple of weeks ago," second-year Baylor coach David Barnett said. "That, essentially, is a pre-regional meet. Ideally, we'd like to move up the ranks, beat a couple of the teams that maybe were ahead of us.

"Definitely want to pack up better. Our numbers 2 through 5 (runners) are all capable of running within about 20 seconds of each other on the women's side. On the men's side, our top three all need to be shooting to be all-region, which is top-25. I think it's realistic for those three guys."

Ellie Hodge looks to lead the Baylor women's team again after finishing 24^th at the Big 12 Championship. The last time Hodge ran the Texas A&M course, she set a personal-best with a 21:55.0 race. She will be joined by three other conference scorers, Sophia Leidner, Jordan Ledington and Cate Urbani, as well as Hayden Gold, who finished in the sixth spot.

Ryan Day highlights the men's race as he runs in the lead spot for the fifth time this season in his fifth race. Ryan Hodge, Devin Duran, Drew Snyder, Noah Monroy and Ethan Wrase will all take the course again after running together at the Big 12 Championships, where they finished seventh.

The Bears will be fighting to advance to the NCAA Championships in Stillwater, Okla., hosted by Oklahoma State. The top two overall teams and the first four finishers outside of those two teams will advance. Anna West and Lindsey Bradley were the last Baylor student-athletes to compete in the NCAA Championship race in 2017, with the Baylor women's team advancing one year prior in 2016.

The race will not be live streamed, but fans can follow along with the regional meet through the live results, provided online by Flash Results.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor cross country, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorTrack.

- BaylorBears.com -

XC Readies for NCAA South Central Regional

Next Event

Footer