OREM, Utah – Both the men's and the women's squads earned their highest team finish in program history at the 2024 WAC Championships hosted by Utah Valley at Lakeside Park on Friday morning.
 
This was a historic day for our program, said  head coach Bobby Carter. I am very proud of each and every one of our student-athletes that competed today. It's great to see freshman rise to the occasion and compete with the some of the best in the WAC. We are looking forward to our first appearance at the NCAA South Central Regional in two weeks.
 
The men's squad finished in fourth led by senior Angel Gomez. Gomez finished in the top 30 for the second consecutive season. On the women's side, Kaitlyn Gale set new program records with the fastest time and highest place by a Texan woman at the WAC Championships.
 
Men
 
Angel Gomez led the Texan men placing 24^th and led the Texan pack to a fourth-place team finish. Gomez cracked the top 30 at the championships for the second-consecutive year and ran his best time at the conference championship crossing in 24:31.48.
 
"The men reached new heights with their fourth-place finish, which is a strong accomplishment against a very competitive field," said distance coach Christopher Zent.
"They have been determined all season long and look to finish very strong at the South Central Region meet."
 
A pair of Texans earned top 30 finishes for the second-consecutive season. Toby Eaton snuck into the top 30 after suffering a fall while a part of the lead pack. He was the seventh freshman to finish, showing the successful future for the Texans. Eaton earned 29^th place finishing in 24:46.17.
 
The third Texan to cross was Jace Poole. Poole notched 33^rd in 24:58.09 in his first WAC Championships. Diego Flores finished right behind Poole in 24^th in 25:00.37. he was just two seconds off his personal best set at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in the Texans last meet. The final scoring Texan was Angel Contreras finishing in 45^th. He crossed in 25:37.01, closing the 1:04 span between the first and fifth Texan to finish.
 
Michael Lopez was the next Texan finish crossing in 26:00.68 in 54^th place. Kellen Frickel recorded a 63^rd place finish finishing in 26:28.21. Kebede Kerlin was just three slots behind finishing 66^th in 26:38.00.
 
CBU took home the tightly-contested team title recording 29 points. Southern Utah finished second with 38 points, followed by Utah Valley in third with 67 points.
 
On the individual side, Utah Valley's Mohamed Guled won the individual title in 23:07.08. Southern Utah's Santiago Guitan finished as runner-up just nine seconds behind in 23:16.31. CBU's Zoiuhair Red Douane rounded out the podium finishers crossing in 23:20.77.
 
 
Women
 
Kaitlyn Gale notched the highest finish by a Texan at the WAC Championships in program history. The freshman finished in 24^th the best by a Texan woman since Imani Williams' 42^nd-place finish in 2020. Gale crossed in 21:43.63, setting the Texans' new best time at the conference championship breaking Jenna Brazeal's 2022 time of 22:38.2. Gale was the 8^th fastest freshman in the conference.
 
"The ladies ran hard today and improved significantly this season," said coach Zent. "They'll continue to work hard and finish the season strong at the South Central Regional at Texas A&M where they've run huge PR's."
 
Sage Lancaster followed, finishing in 32^nd. Lancaster crossed in 22:11.19, nearly 58 seconds faster than her time at the conference championships last season in Abilene. Freshman Ella Smart was the third Texan runner to cross earning 56^th in 23:15.13. Senior Georgina Balderas, competing in her final WAC Championship meet finished three spots behind in 23:31.33. She bested her time by 12 seconds for last season's conference race.
 
The final scoring Texan was Kyla Zalit finishing 66^th in 24:16.73. Allie Brown and Jordan Jones rounded out the Texans runners. Brown finished 69^th in 24:33.84. Jones crossed in 71^st in 25:09.85.
 
Utah Valley posted a perfect team score of 15 with six runners occupying the top six spots in the race. California Baptist claimed runner-up status posting 63 points. Southern Utah rounded out the podium with a third-place finish notching 97 points.
 
UVU's Anna Martin claimed the individual title as the only female to break 20 minutes, crossing in 19:51.49. Her teammates Ari Trimble and Caila Odekirk followed closely behind finishing in 20:00.1 and 20:07.09.
 
The Purple and White will race in its first NCAA Regional race in program history at 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.