OREM, Utah – Tarleton Cross Country will lace up for their fifth WAC Cross Country Championships on Friday morning at Lakeside Park.
 
The women's 6K will start the morning at 11 a.m. CT. Following the conclusion of the women's race, the men will battle for the title in the 8K slated to start at 10:45 a.m. There will be no stream, but live results will be provided by meettrax. For live updates and highlights follow @tarletontrackxc on Instagram and x or visit tarletonsports.com.
 
The Texans enter the conference championship as one of four WAC programs ranked in their region. The Purple and White's are ranked ninth in the South Central Region, the second highest of all WAC schools. Only California Baptist is ranked higher (#3 in West). As released earlier this week, the Texan men are ranked fifth in the WAC pre-championship poll.
 
Friday will mark the first time the WAC Championships are in Utah since 2015 when it was hosted in Orem. It will mark the second time the event has been run in Orem, and the 19^th time it will be ran in the state of Utah. Earlier this spring, the WAC Outdoor Track and Field Championships were hosted by Utah Valley in Orem.
 
This season, Jace Poole has led the men in three of the four regular season races. His best finish came at the opening meet when he crossed 10^th at the John McKenzie Invite hosted by TCU. He posted a season-best time last time out at the Arturo Barrios Invitational finishing the 8K in 23:58.8.
 
On the women's side Sage Lancaster has finished among the top two Texans in each of the first four meets this season. Lancaster set a new personal best in the 6K finishing in 21:41.4 Lancaster's best finish also came at the John McKenzie Invitational where she crossed seventh.
 
Last year at the WAC Championships in Abilene, both the men's and women's squads placed the highest in program history. The men's sixth place finish was the best in their first four years of competing in the event. The women finished 10^th, their highest finish in their first three years of competing as a team.
 
Tarleton graduate Kevin Baez holds the Texans' fastest time and highest finish. Last year in Abilene, Baez crossed in 24:16.9. He placed the highest in program history in the Texans first appearance in 2020 where he finished 10^th. On the women's side, Jenna Brazeal owns the top time when she ran 22:38.2 in 2021. Imani Williams owns the best finish when she crossed in 42^nd in 2020.
 
After the WAC Championships, the Texans will compete in its first ever NCAA Regional. The Purple and White will race in the South Central Regional in Bryan-College Station, Texas. The race will be hosted by Texas A&M at the Watts Cross Country Course on Friday, Nov. 15.