XC Making Trek Down Highway 6 to College Station

COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Returning to the Watts Cross Country Course for the third time in five meets, the Baylor men's and women's cross country teams will compete in the Arturo Barrios invitational Friday morning as a final tune-up before the start of postseason.

In a preview of next month's NCAA South Central Regional that will be held on this same course, the field for the Arturo Barrios includes most of the top-ranked teams from the region, along with Ohio State and Youngstown State.

The men's 8K race will start at 8:15 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 8:50.

"We're looking forward to running on a familiar course in College Station this weekend," said Baylor coach David Barnett, whose team is running in the Arturo Barrios for the ninth year in a row. "It will be a high level of competition, and the teams are excited to test themselves."

Ranked 12^th in the South Central Region, the Baylor women are coming off a strong showing at the Chile Pepper Festival two weeks ago, finishing eighth out of 30 teams and placing two runners in the top 15. Ruth Kimeli finished fourth with a PR time of 16:05.2 in the 5K race, with Eastern Kentucky transfer Khadija Ennasri coming in 14^th in her Baylor debut.

With Kimeli held out this week, Ennasri heads a lineup that includes scoring runners Ella Perry, Rickeisha Simms and Mackenize Browne. Also running for the Bears will be freshmen Samantha Cravin and Jenna Jacobsen, sophomores Eva Jacbosen, Rachel Haws and Mason Murray, junior Regina Paseiro-Garduno and seniors Kira Dietrich, Kat Heimer and Rosanna Pugh.

On the men's side, junior Jack Sterrett is the lead runner for a group that includes seniors Straton Miller, Nolan Keenan, Ben Archer and Aiden Ramshaw, junior Caden Biltz and freshmen Matthew King and Caleb Larsen.

Last time out, Sterrett was in his typical No. 1 spot, finishing 43^rd overall at the Chile Pepper with an 8K time of 25:27.9. But King pushed him, placing 54^th at 25:39.0 and helping the Bears finish 16^th out of 29 teams.

This will also likely serve as a team qualifier for the Big 12 Championship, which will be held Oct. 31 at Oklahoma State's Greiner Family Cross Country Course in Stillwater, Okla.

Live results for Friday's meet will be available at Arturo Barrios.

For the latest news on the Baylor cross country team all year long, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorTrack.

XC Making Trek Down Highway 6 to College Station

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Players Mentioned

Ben Archer

Caden Biltz

Mackenize Browne

Samantha Cravin

Kira Dietrich

Khadija Ennasri

Rachel Haws

Jenna Jacobsen

Nolan Keenan

Ruth Kimeli

Matthew King

Caleb Larsen

Straton Miller

Mason Murray

Regina Paseiro-Garduno

Ella Perry

Rosanna Pugh

Aiden Ramshaw

Rickeisha Simms

Jack Sterrett

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