Meet Info
 
CANYON, Texas – West Texas A&M cross country laces up for the first time on Friday, Sept. 1, as the Buffs and Lady Buffs are set to compete at the Big Country Festival hosted by McMurray State and Abilene Christian in Abilene, Texas.   
 
The women's 5K race is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. followed by the men's 5K at 7 p.m. CT. A full recap including result will be posted on GoBuffsGo.com following the conclusion of the meet. 
 
IN THE POLLS
WT is one of seven programs from the loaded South Central Region to stand in the initial U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Preseason Polls.  WT is also one of seven schools from the region to have both the men's and women's programs represented in the standings with the Buffs ranked 9^TH and Lady Buffs 16^th in the nation. 
 
KEEPIN' THE STREAK ALIVE
The Buffs were selected as the preseason favorites as the reigning Lone Star Conference Champions look to go for their 11^th straight league title while the Lady Buffs were selected to finish second.  
 
Returning for the Buffs is All-American junior Harry Louradour. He finished the 2022 season as the LSC Runner of the Year and had a top-20 finish at the NCAA National Championship. Louradour returns with Lady Buff standout, Eleonora Curtabbi, who looks to compete big again after finishing sixth at the National Championship. 
 
HEAD COACH ZACH DANIEL 
Zach Daniel enters his second season at the helm of both cross country programs after taking over in December of 2021.  Daniel, a WT alum, returned to Canyon after a three-year stint at UT Rio Grande Valley.  During his career at WT, he reached the NCAA Cross Country Championships all three years with LSC titles in the outdoor 10K and 5K. 
 
In 2022, he coached two LSC Runners of the Year and had two All-American honors for his teams. Both his teams, the Buffs and Lady Buffs, finished in the top-15, with the Lady Buffs having the highest NCAA Division II finish in history at #13 in the nation. 
 
WT WELCOMES NEW FACES
In the off-season, Daniel welcomed twelve newcomers to the cross country program. William Amponsah, Prince Mcabelo, Aziz Mohammed, Enrico Oddone, Michael Riess, Grant Sims, Adrian Solis and Noah Watt joined the Buffs program while the Lady Buffs welcomed Jessica Garcia, Sarah Koomson, Elise Leveel and Olivia McLain.  

FOLLOW WT CROSS COUNTRY
Fans can follow and stay up to date on all WT Cross Country action on online and on social media.  Follow WT on Twitter and Instagram (@WTAMUTrackXC), and on Facebook (@WTAMUTFCC)