CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah cross country program will wrap up its final year in the Western Athletic Conference with the WAC Cross Country Championships on Oct. 31 at the Harold Patterson Sports Center in Arlington, Texas.

Even with a young roster focused on development before a move to the Big Sky Conference, the men's cross country team ranked third in the 2025 WAC Pre-Championship Coaches' Poll.

MEET INFORMATION

LIVE RESULTS

WAC Championships

In their final WAC Championships before switching to the Big Sky, the Thunderbirds will face daunting conference competition. California Baptist University's men's team has locked up first in this race for five straight seasons, and Utah Valley University's women's team totaled a perfect score of 15 in last year's championship.

With a tough collection of foes, each of the Southern Utah teams will aim to finish in the top half of the six-team conference.

Held at the Harold Patterson Sports Center and hosted by UT Arlington, the championships will open with the men's 8K at 8 a.m., followed by the women's 6K at 9 a.m. Admission for the event is free, and spectators are welcome.

Last Time Out

The Thunderbirds closed up their regular season at the Bronco Invitational on Oct. 18, showing out in one of their best full-program performances of the season. The men earned first in a field of 18 teams, and the women slotted third in a field of 16.

On the men's side, junior Logan Peel's 23:55.7 8K granted him seventh place and WAC Men's Cross Country Athlete of the Week honors. In the women's 4K, Audrey Hales finished seventh with a time of 21:03.1, and Nixie Killpack landed 11th with a 21:07.2.

Coach Eric Houle Said

"Coaching six programs between two genders each year has been a wonderful experience. These are my 183rd and 184th conference championships in my career at SUU, and every championship has been very important.

Between the athletes, the coaches, the direction of the program, and the department as a whole, the goal has always been to make this university competitive at the conference, state, and national levels. We strive to finish in the top 50% of each championship. 

Still, championship after championship, season after season, it's essential to guide our athletes with honesty and hope, and to inspire them to believe that there's something greater inside of them. This is only accomplished with truth. This season, we are young, but we have demonstrated considerable potential and achieved notable successes. 

On the women's side, Audrey, Nixie, and Aspen are performing exceptionally well, potentially becoming all-conference athletes. Our other female athletes are also developing quickly. To finish at the top of the conference championship will give us confidence as we move into the Big Sky.

On the men's side, Logan and our two freshmen, Amit and Jake, are also in contention for all-conference status, and we have a solid younger group to round off. Our team should be competitive this weekend and again set the stage for a stronger team as we prepare for the Big Sky Conference."

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