THE 2024 SEASON
Â
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.
Â
THE LSC PRESEASON POLL
Â
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.
Â
LAST TIME OUT
Two weekends ago, the Patriots competed in the Texas A&M Invitational for the third consecutive year and turned in their strongest overall showing to date.
On the men's side, David Soto continued his strong season by clocking a time of 24:21.9 to place 14th overall. His performance not only secured the Patriots' best team finish at this meet in the last three years but also marked the fastest time in the Lone Star Conference for the week—for the second straight week. Freshman Grayson Williams kept his momentum going with a standout run of 24:27.3, finishing 16th overall and ranking as the second-fastest time in the LSC behind Soto.
The women's squad also showed significant improvement, finishing nearly 100 points better than their performance at last year's meet. The Patriots outpaced both of their LSC counterparts in the field, DBU and St. Edward's, to cap off the day on a high note. Sophomore Macy Cogburn led the way with a 35th-place finish, recording a 5K time of 18:30.3 for 31 points. Close behind was Gracie Ladner, who crossed the line in 18:50.1 to claim 49th place and add 44 points.
Both the men's and women's teams finished 7th overall in their respective fields, marking a strong step forward for the program at a highly competitive meet.
THE FALL 2025 SLATE LEFT
Â
Following this weekend's meet, the final regular season event will be the DBU Old Glory Gallop on October 11 in Fort Worth.
Â
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.
OSU COWBOY JAMBOREE
This week, the Patriots will travel to Stillwater for the third consecutive season. The men's squad will compete in an 8K race, while the women will take on a 6K course. It marks the first time this fall that the women will run these distances, with the men making their third straight appearance at the mark.
The meet will be held at the Greiner Family Cross Country Course, a venue renovated in 2019. Since then, the course has hosted premier events including the 2019 Midwest Regional, the 2020 NCAA Cross Country Championships, the 2021 Big 12 Championships, the 2022 NCAA Cross Country Championships, and the 2023 NCAA Midwest Regional Championships.
This year's field will feature several top programs from across Texas, with 17 teams competing on the women's side and 15 on the men's side. The Patriots will also get an early look at several key regional opponents, including Lubbock Christian, Western Colorado, Midwestern State, and Oklahoma Christian.
