It was not the ending the University of Texas women’s cross country team hoped for. The Longhorns took fifth at the regional meet Saturday, ultimately ending a rough 2008 season.
Before the trek to Waco, head coach Steve Sisson thought the team’s chances of making it to the 2008 NCAA Championships hinged upon finishing ahead of SMU or Rice.
Unfortunately, that did not happen, and the Longhorns were left making a somber trip back to Austin.
Finishing the 6K course in 13th place, junior Betzy Jimenez paced her team and collected her fourth top-15 finish of the season, leading the Longhorns for the fourth straight race.
Junior Lauren Salisbury finished the race just behind Jimenez for a career-best time and a 22nd-place finish.
Senior Larkin Geyer finished 37th, concluding her impressive career at Texas.
“There is no other way to say it since we have been blessed to have Larkin on the team,” Sisson said of Geyer’s departure. “Her leadership, her performances and her balance have all made her an amazing person. She is a great influence, and she will definitely be missed.”
Freshmen Mia Behm and Laleh Mojtabaeezamani continued to show they are the future for this team finishing 26th and 41st, respectively.
“Mia and Laleh have done a great job,” Sisson said. “They have definitely shown us something for next year.”
Even though it was not the year Sisson wanted it to be, there were still signs of life from this young team.
“We have been able to maximize our performance with our kids. We had a rough year this year losing people along the line,” Sisson said. “Looking forward to next year, I see this team being better than it was. The future is really bright.”
And that future now begins to prepare for next year as the Longhorns head into a long off-season.
Be the first to comment on this article!