Texas A&M cross country team heads to Texas Tech for Big 12 Championship

The Texas A&M cross country team will compete Friday in the Big 12 Championship in Lubbock, Texas. There are four Big 12 men's squads in the and three women's squads in the Top 30 nationally.

The Aggies look to finish in the top half of the field, improving on last year's finish. Last year, the men came in No. 7 and the women No. 6.

Looking to build on an already successful season, junior David Hebert will be running in the number one spot for the men, with juniors Kevin McNab, Kevin Ondrasek and Logan Sherman, sophomores Joe Sauvageau, Brian Lind and Matt Ross, and freshman Nick Toohey supporting him during the race.

Running in the number one spot for the women will be junior Sarah Balfour, who looks to build on her recent Top 10 finish at the Chile Pepper Festival. Backing her up will be senior Kassie Moore, junior Brenna Williamson, sophomores Elizabeth Slaughter amd Emilie Fischer, and freshmen Alie Cornell and Kasey McNorton.

Cross country Head Coach Dan Waters said his team is well prepared and ready for the increased competition.

"We've just been getting better and better every week, and that's kind of how we train and condition everybody," Waters said. "So we've been preparing all year long in the same manner, so that when we get to the bigger meets it's just routine."

Despite not racing many Big 12 schools this season, Waters said his team is looking forward to taking on their conference foes.

"We've only raced two Big 12 teams this year: Baylor and Texas Tech," Waters said. "We haven't seen the other nine schools, so we just don't really know what to expect out of them."

With the Big 12 having some of the best cross country teams in the country, Waters said it can be intimidating for some of the runners, but they all have each other's backs.

"I think that when they get on the line, they look down at their teammates," Waters said. "And they know each one is going to run their heart out for each other, and that's something we try to build everyday."

This is the first time that Texas Tech has hosted the Big 12 Championship. The meet will be run on the Rawls Golf Course.

"We've never actually seen the course, only the Red Raiders have," Water said. "Looking at pictures, there's a lot of little bumps and twists which will make it interesting for us."

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