STEPHENVILLE, Texas – Tarleton State Cross Country released its 2025 slate as announced by head coach Bobby Carter on Monday afternoon.
The Texans are set to race six times this season, the same as in 2024. The Purple and White will compete in four regular season meets before the WAC Championships on Halloween at the end of October. Two weeks later, the squad will embark on their second NCAA Regional Championships appearance.
"I am truly excited for this cross country season, said Carter. "With some returners coming back and also with some new incoming athletes, it's going to be an exciting season. As you see in our schedule, it is set up for our athletes to succeed the best way possible. Coach Zent, will have this group ready to compete at the WAC championships later on this season."
Three of the four regular season meets this season will be familiar for the Texan squad. For the third consecutive year, the Texans will open their slate at the John McKenzie Invitational hosted by TCU. A season ago, the Purple and White posted second place team finishes on both the men's and women's races. Nine individuals combined to finish in the top 20 across the two genders.
The second race of the season will be a new event for the Texans. With the WAC Championships being hosted at UTA for the first time since joining the conference, the Texans will be racing at the Gerald Richey Invitational to preview the course. The meet will be held on Sept. 5 at the Harold Patterson Sports Complex in Arlington. Tarleton State will be racing in the invitational for the third time since 2020. The last time the Texans competed in 2021 at the event, Texan graduate Kevin Baez posted a top five finish for the first time in program history.
For the fourth-straight season, the Texans will be competing at the Chile Pepper Festival. This meet has become a staple on the Tarleton State schedule and is one of the premiere cross country meets in the region. It will be held on Oct. 4 at the U of Arkansas Cross Country Course at Agri Park. The squad will be previewing the same course that they will be running on for the NCAA Regional Championships later in November.
"I look forward to the upcoming year," said distance coach Chris Zent. "Our returners come back with greater experience and the hunger to continue to build on last year's successful season. Our new runners have great passion and enthusiasm to represent Tarleton State this fall. The schedule sets up perfect, allowing us to preview both the WAC and NCAA South Central Regional courses prior to championship season."
The Texans will close out the regular season with another trip to Texas A&M to race at the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Oct. 17. The Texans have raced in at least one Texas A&M meet in each season since 2020. The crew will be competing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational at Watts Cross Country Course for the second consecutive season.
The WAC Championships will be held in Arlington just two weeks later. The Texan men finished fourth last season at WAC Championships hosted by Utah Valley. The squad will once again compete at the Harold Patterson Sports Complex after racing on it earlier in the season. For the second time in program history, the Texans will compete at the South Central Regional Championships on Nov. 14. The Tarleton men finished ninth in Texas A&M a season ago and will look to build on that at the meet hosted by Arkansas this year.
The Tarleton State Cross Country squad are just under a month and a half from their first meet at the end of August. The Texans will look to build on last season's success and are excited to get started and are looking forward to the support from Texan nation.
