Nov. 11, 2006

The UTPA men's cross country team posted an 11th-place finish while the Lady Broncs earned a 12th-place showing at the NCAA Division I South Central Regional Championships hosted by Baylor University in Waco, TX, on Saturday (Nov. 11).

Luis Nava (La Joya, TX/La Joya H.S.) was the top finisher for the Broncs as the UTPA sophomore crossed the end line in 49th place with a time of 32:20.80 in the 10,000-metet race while Juan Davila (Donna, TX/Donna H.S.) finished behind his teammate with a time of 32:50.60 en route to finishing 58th overall.

Omar Doria (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.) finished one spot behind Davila as the UTPA newcomer posted a time of 32:56.10, which earned him 59th-place laurels, and Wally Gonzales (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.) finished 61st overall with a time of 32:58.10.

Alex Moncivais (Pharr, TX/Texas A&M-Kingsville) rounded out the scoring for the Broncs as he finished with a time of 33:02.10 en route to earning 64th-place laurels.

"I was a little disappointed with our men because I really thought that we should've been in the top 10," said head coach Ricky Vaughn. "We had a few runners that really performed well, and there were others that just didn't perform at all. This was a great opportunity for us to make a mark in a very deep field, and we weren't able to capitalize on it."

The University of Arkansas claimed the team championship with a total team score of 24 while Texas (51), Lamar (96), Stephen F. Austin (131) and Texas A&M (165) rounded out the top five. UTPA finished with a total team score of 291 as they finished ahead of the University of Houston, LSU, Louisiana Tech, Arkansas-Little Rock and Louisiana-Lafayette.

Ashley Perez (Falfurrias, TX/Falfurrias H.S.) led the way for the Lady Broncs as the UTPA senior finished with a time of 22:44.80 en route to earning 55th-place laurels in the 6,000-meter race.

Sara Rodriguez (Pharr, TX/Valley View H.S.) recorded a time of 23:06.90, which placed her 62nd overall, while Rose Escovedo (Edinburg, TX/Edinburg North H.S.) crossed the end line in 23:15.50 to earn 66th-place accolades.

Carolina Izzaguire (Brownsville, TX/Hanna H.S.) finished 68th overall with a time of 23:18.20, and Sonya Rivera (Brownsville, TX/Hanna H.S.) crossed the finish line in a time of 23:18.70 en route to finishing one-spot back of her teammate in 69th place.

"I was very pleased with our women's team because almost every one of them finished the race one-minute faster than the last time that we ran here. This was a very deep field for the women, and they went out there and ran to the best of their abilities, and that's all that I can ask of them," said Vaughn.

The University of Arkansas captured the women's title with a total team score of 30 while Baylor (83), Texas A&M (104), Lamar (140) and SMU (149) rounded out the top five. The Lady Broncs finished with a total team score of 320 and finished ahead of the University of Houston, Sam Houston State and Arkansas State.

UTPA Sports Information