ABILENE – Abilene Christian's cross country postseason begins Saturday with the running of the Lone Star Conference Championships at San Angelo's Red Arroyo park. The much-anticipated event begins with the women's 6K at 9:30 a.m. followed by the men's 8K at 10:30 a.m.
The Wildcat men's team, winners of the last 20 conference titles, enters the weekend as underdogs in the mind of head coach Chris Woods. Injuries have kept several top performers out of action the past several weeks, and while sophomore
Spenser Lynn is expected to return, ACU will be without the services of senior
Jake Schofield.
Although Woods is saddened by Schofield's injury situation, he says everyone else is at or close to 100 percent.
“We're going to be out there in full force for the first time all year,” he said, “and we're motivated to defend our title. It's going to be tough, but these are the kinds of situations that build character. We just had our best workout of the year yesterday morning and we're going in with a lot of confidence.”
With Lynn back in the lineup, ACU showcases a formidable threesome up front that also features Will Pike and
Erik Forrister, and when these three last competed together in mid-September, their 1-3 split was clocked at 13.5 seconds.
Forrister has competed at all five meets this year and is averaging a 2.4-place finish among the Wildcats with a top 8K time of 26:37.50 at the Naimadu Classic. Lynn finished first overall at the same meet in 26:24, while Pike came in second at 26:35.
Pike stepped up afterward in Lynn's absence, winning the 10K at Midwestern State (34:33.5) and leading ACU to the finish line at the 8K Cowboy Jamboree (26:22.05).
Alyse Goldsmith and Chloe Susset, two individuals that Woods considers among the best runners in the conference, region and nation, will pace the women's team.
Goldsmith led ACU to the finish line at the 6K Naimadu Classic with a season best time of 18:36.97, and then Susset took over as the Wildcats' fastest runner at the Cowboy Jamboree and Midwestern State. Susset clocked an 18:53.77 at the Oklahoma State-based meet and won the race outright at MSU in 22:01.1. Goldsmith placed third in Wichita Falls (22:15.1).
“I'm excited about this race because we're going in under the radar,” Woods said, “and I like having the focus on the team even though Chloe and Alyse are perfectly capable of winning the individual title.”
The women's team also made some recent additions to its roster over the last several weeks, including Mariah Welty-Kile, who in her collegiate debut at the Angelo State Blue and Gold Classic placed 15th overall in 19:58.79.
ACU's women placed third last year with 119 points and Woods is certain that both his teams can match or improve on last year's showing if they go out and fight every step of the way.
“Whether it's for 6000 meters or 8000 meters, if we can leave it all out there, then win, lose or draw, we'll hold our heads up high,” he said. “I don't want anyone finishing the race with regrets. We will go to the well, fighting with pride and for the honor of competing for ACU.”
