Women take first, men finish fourth at the Ricardo Romo/Six Flags Fiesta Texas Classic
Sept. 22, 2008
SAN ANTONIO--The University of Houston women and men cross country team placed first and fourth respectively in the Ricardo Romo/Six Flags Fiesta Texas Classic hosted by UTSA on Friday. The women, led by third-place freshman Stephanie Aldea with a time of 18:04, finished first with 42 points. Freshmen Starla Garcia, Megan Munoz and Brandi Witte were right behind Aldea in sixth, seventh and ninth. Junior Erica Hannemann finished in 17th. "I thought our top five women ran exceptional and I'm extremely happy for them. They each ran all-time bests and that's what we needed to see from them this week," head coach Ryan Turner said. The men placed fourth with a total of 79 points. Freshman Nate Pineda led the Cougar pack in third-place with a time of 15:43. Freshman Cole Bessner finished 17th with a time of 16:18, while freshman Anthony Jordan and junior Antony Keller finished 18th and 20th. "Nate (Pineda), once again, showed why we recruited him. He is a tough runner who just keeps finding ways to finish in the front. He beat several good runners, and as a San Antonio native, it was special for him to run so well in front of his friends and family," Turner said. Entering Friday's meet, the women were ranked 12th in the pre-season poll for South Central by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Texas A&M- Corpus Christi was ranked seventh. The men were ranked 11th in the pre-season poll, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi was ranked eighth. Women's 5K Men's 5K
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