AUSTIN, Texas – With the 2023 cross country campaign set to begin this Friday, September 1st, the American Southwest Conference has released their preseason polls for the upcoming season. Representing Concordia Texas was
Kamron Loera and
Belkin Vega-Molina; whom was recognized on the ASC Preseason Runners to Watch List.
Loera, a junior from San Antonio, is currently the school's 8k record holder. He blazed a time of 25:58.9 to break the previous school record (held by
Rick Platas) by an astonishing 43 seconds at the ASC Cross Country Championships last October. Loera placed fourth overall at the ASC Championships for All-ASC First Team honors as his pace helped the men's team earned their highest finish ever at the ASC Championships a year ago.
Vega-Molina enters her second season as a member of the Tornados' program and her first as a cross country runner. She is a member of the school's record-breaking 4x100m team from this spring and has a personal best time of 2:32.12 in the 800m.
Overall, the Tornados will return four members from last year's unit, and they will look to a healthy mix of experience with new talent for a successful season. The men's team was predicted to finish fourth again at the ASC Championships, while the women were picked seventh in the preseason polls.
Click
here to view the men's season preview from the ASC. Click
here to view the women's season preview from the ASC.
The Tornados are slated to compete in five meets as they will co-host the season opener at Southwestern this Friday, September 1st. They will then head to Houston, Texas for the Rice Invitational on September 8th. Heading back to Georgetown, CTX will compete in the Southwestern Showdown on September 16th.
Concordia Texas will then trek to their furthest competition in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Annual Chile Pepper Cross Country Festival on September 30th. Returning back to the lone star state a week later, the Tornados will head towards Grand Prairie, Texas for Dallas Baptist's Old Glory Gallop in the regular season finale on October 7th. After three weeks of rest, Concordia will once again head back to Grand Prairie to participate in the ASC Championships on October 29th. The cross country season will then culminate in Riverside, California for the NCAA Regionals on November 11th for all qualifiers.
2023 CTX CROSS COUNTRY SCHEDULE
*Dates subject to change
| DATE |
Location |
Host |
| Friday, Sept. 1 |
Georgetown, TX |
Concordia Texas / Southwestern |
| Friday, Sept. 8 |
Houston, TX |
Rice University |
| Saturday, Sept. 16 |
Georgetown, TX |
Southwestern |
| Saturday, Sept. 30 |
Fayetteville, TX |
University of Arkansas |
| Saturday, Oct. 7 |
Grand Prairie, TX |
Dallas Baptist |
| Sunday, Oct. 29 |
Grand Prairie, TX |
ASC Championships |
| Saturday, Nov. 11 |
Riverside, CA |
NCAA Championships |
2023 ASC Preseason Men's Cross Country Poll
| Team (First Place Votes) |
Points |
2022 Championship Finish |
| 1. UT Dallas (6) |
78 |
2nd |
| 2. McMurry (3) |
68 |
1st |
| 3. LeTourneau |
60 |
3rd |
| 4. Concordia Texas |
53 |
4th |
| 5. East Texas Baptist |
37 |
7th |
| 6. Ozarks |
34 |
5th |
| 7. Hardin-Simmons |
33 |
6th |
| 8. Mary Hardin-Baylor |
24 |
8th |
| 9. Sul Ross State |
18 |
9th |
2023 ASC Preseason Women's Cross Country Poll
| Team (First Place Votes) |
Points |
2022 Championship Finish |
| 1. McMurry (5) |
71 |
1st |
| 2. Mary Hardin-Baylor (1) |
63 |
2nd |
| 2. East Texas Baptist |
63 |
3rd |
| 4. UT Dallas |
51 |
4th |
| 5. Hardin-Simmons (2) |
47 |
6th |
| 6. LeTourneau |
44 |
5th |
| 7. Concordia Texas |
30 |
IND |
| 8. Ozarks |
23 |
7th |
| 9. Sul Ross State |
13 |
8th |
