Nov. 13, 2004

Waco, Texas - The University of Houston men's cross-country team registered a fourth-place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships in Waco, Texas Saturday.

Nationally-ranked Arkansas won the team championship with 34 points, while Texas was second with 51 points and Rice University finished in third place with 65 points.

Houston finished in fourth place with 148 points. Four Cougar runners were among the top 30 places in the race.

Junior All-Conference USA performer Sesar Figueroa was Houston top runner as he finished in 19th place with a time of 31:03. Junior Tyler Stanfield, who was the runner-up finisher at the C-USA Championships, finished in 20th place with a time of 31:08. Derek Yorek finished in 23rd place with a time of 31:17 and Cole Dailey finished in 30th place with a time of 31:30.

The individual champion was Arkansas' Joshpat Boit, who won the race with a time of 29:43. Boit finished three seconds ahead of teammate Shawn Forrest, while Marcel Hewamudalige of Rice was third with a time of 29:51.

The UH women's cross country team finished in 12th place. The top Lady Cougar runner was senior Veronica Ramirez, who finished in 33rd place with a time of 22:00. Jessica Oakes also finished in 49th place with a time of 22:25.