THE 2024 SEASON
 
The Patriots return a solid core of experience, strengthened by the influx of young talent added to both the men's and women's programs over the past two years.

On the men's side, UT Tyler raced to a second-place finish at the UT Tyler Cross Country Opener last year, placing five runners inside the top 15. Leading the way was David Soto, who, now a junior, clocked a 20:10.10 to win the individual title by 13 seconds—his first collegiate victory. Soto carried that momentum into the Lone Star Conference Championships, where the Patriots finished sixth as a team and he secured seventh place in the 8K with a time of 24:29.11, earning All-LSC honors.

The women claimed the team title at their UT Tyler Cross Country Opener, placing four runners inside the top 10. Kailynn Denney paced the squad with a fourth-place finish in 20:11.91. That strong form carried into the LSC Championships, where the team finished eighth overall. Freshman standout Macy Cogburn capped off an impressive debut season by placing 20th in 22:33.39.
 

THE LSC PRESEASON POLL
 
The 2025 LSC Preseason Cross Country Poll was released last week, and the Patriots were picked 6^th on the men's side and 7^th on the women's side. The men's side garnered 282 total points, where they were 39 behind 5^th place pick Texas A&M International. The women's side grabbed 308 total points, just 17 behind 6^th place pick Texas A&M-Kingsville.
 

OPENING WEEKEND

Last weekend, the Patriots hosted their own cross country meet for the second consecutive year and turned in another dominant performance. On the men's side, David Soto repeated as the individual champion, clocking a 25:47.57 to win by 11 seconds. His effort not only secured the individual crown but also helped the Patriots capture the team title, and his time stood as the fastest in the Lone Star Conference for the week, earning him LSC Runner of the Week honors. The women's squad was equally impressive, winning back-to-back team titles at the event in commanding fashion as UT Tyler claimed six of the top seven individual finishes, led by Kailynn Denney, who crossed first in 19:02.44—a full minute faster than her mark at the same meet a year ago. The Patriots finished with just 17 points, while the next closest team tallied 75. Freshmen also made their presence felt, with Grayson Williams and Adison Richard both earning LSC Freshman Runner of the Week recognition. Williams placed fourth overall in his collegiate debut with a time of 26:03.37, the third-fastest mark in the conference's opening weekend, while Richard impressed in her first college race, finishing runner-up in 19:11.90, just behind Denney.

 
THE FALL 2025 SLATE
 
Following this weekend's meet, the Patriots will get a week off before heading to Stillwater for the OSU Cowboy Jamboree on September 26. The final regular season event will be the DBU Old Glory Gallop on October 11 in Fort Worth.
 
The 2025 LSC Championships will be on October 25 and hosted by DBU in Fort Woth, Texas. The NCAA South Central Regional will take place in Pueblo, Colorado on November 8, and the NCAA Championships will be in Kenosha, Wisconsin on November 22.

THE TEXAS A&M INVITATIONAL

This week the Patriots will travel to College Station for the third straight season. The men's race this week will be an 8K run, while the women will take on a 5K course. This will be the second straight meet for the Patriots at these distances.
 
The race itself will be at the Watts Cross Country Course and it opened in the fall of 2014. The course has hosted the 2015 SEC Championships and the 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2024 NCAA Regional Meet.
 
This week's meet will see several top programs from around the state of Texas compete. In total, 17 programs on the women's side and 15 on the men's side will take part in the race. Additionally, the Patriots will get a look at LSC foe St. Edward's.