COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Tarleton State Cross Country concluded its regular season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational at the Watts Cross Country Course on Friday morning.
 
The Texans competed in a loaded field with at least 10 South Central Region-ranked programs in each the men's and women's races. The men were led by Diego Flores for the third-straight meet of the season as the first Texan to finish. The Purple and White placed 31^st in the field. The Texans placed 20^th among the teams in the South Central Region. On the women's side, Kaitlyn Gale ran a personal best time to lead the Texans for the first time this season. The Texans tied for 39^th, placing ahead of UAC foe, Abilene Christian. The Texans ranked in the top 25 of South Central Region programs.
 
"I saw a lot of good effort put forth by both the men's and women's teams today," said distance coach Christopher Zent. "There was a number of significant improvements from our last meet at Oklahoma State a few weeks ago. I think with continued improvement this gives us good momentum as we prepare for the postseason. We are in a great position to make some noise at the UAC Championships in less than two weeks."
 
Men
Following the legs of Flores, the Texan men posted a pair of men inside the top 135 racers in the field of 400. Flores crossed in 113^th overall in 24:34.3. He was followed tightly behind by Tyler Hedgepeth who was the next Texan to finish in 133^rd place overall in 24:43.4. The duo has been the top two Texan finishers in each of the three regular season meets for the Texans this season.
 
Ethan Johnston placed third for the Texans placing 246^th in 25:43.3. Jon Stancazk was the next finisher clocking in at 26:10.1 to place 285^th. It marked Stanczak's highest performance within the Texans after recovering from an injury and missing the season opener at the John McKenzie Invitational. Will Kimmel was the fifth and final scoring Texan to finish, clocking in at 26:19.0. Kimmel was just12 slots behind Stanczak crossing in 297^th place. Michael Fuller was the final Texan to cross in 26:34.5 in 312^th place overall.
 
Division II program, Adams State torched the competition winning the team title by over 100 points. Adams State scored just 42 points and had a pair in the top five and all five of their scoring runners in the top 15. App State claimed second placed scoring 144 points. The Mountaineers top runner was in ninth place, but four runners inside the top 45 boosted them to second place overall.
 
Texas Tech's Titus Kimaru won the individual crown by eight seconds. Kimaru clocked in at 22:43.1 to overtake Texas A&M's Michael Moiben. Moiben in his season debut crossed in 22:51.2. Adams State freshman Thibault Tauziede was the only other runner in the field to clock in under 23 minutes in 22:59.9 to place third.
 
Women
Gale paced the Texans for the first time this season, setting a new 6K personal best time of 21:15.2 to place 120^th. The junior led the pack for the Texans the entire race. Gale led the Texans at the 2K mark and never looked back. She ended the race jumping over 70 spots in the final 4K of the race. Ava Tannehill was the second Texan to cross. The freshman placed in 194^th overall in 21:47.8.
 
A pair of freshmen were just behind the top pairing with Rylie Rivers and Sadie Larson. Rivers placed 244^th in 22:23.8, while Larson crossed just six spots behind in 282^nd place in 22:41.6. Rounding out the scoring Texans, Victoria Guerrero crossed in 301^st  place. Guerrero clocked in at 22:47.5. Freshmen Sophia Sandoval and Lincoln Husbands rounded out the Purple and White at the competition. Sandoval crossed sixth for the Texans in 23:27.1 in 334^th while Husbands registered in 352^nd in the field of over 400 in 23:50.3.
 
Arkansas narrowly took home the women's team title. The Razorbacks posted a trio in the top 20 to score 101 points and win the Arturo Barrios Invitational. Eastern Kentucky placed second with 122 points despite holding three runners in the top seven of the race. Tulane held on for third overall scoring 136 points with a pair within the top 15.
 
Individually, Eastern Kentucky's Edna Chelulei won the race in 18:42.2. Arkansas sophomore, Isca Chelangat placed second just under four seconds behind in 18:46.1. Another EKU Colonel, freshman Brighter Jepchumba placed third in 18:47.6. The trio ended the race as a pack with nearly 30 seconds separating third and fourth place.
 
Tarleton State will begin its postseason with a trip to Kentucky for the UAC Championships. The Texans are slated to head to Richmond, Kent. to compete in the meet hosted by Eastern Kentucky. The men will be competing in an 8K with the women racing a 5K. For the latest updates, news and highlights follow @tarletonxctrack.