Women's XC Ranked in Regional Poll
8/27/2018 2:51:00 PM | Women's Cross Country
TCU was ranked No.6 in the South Central region preseason poll.
FORT WORTH, Texas – The United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) announced the women's cross country regional rankings on Monday, with the TCU women's cross country team earning the No.6 rank in the South Central region.
The South Central region consists of twenty teams, including Arkansas, Texas, SMU, Baylor, and Texas A&M. In 2017, TCU was ranked as high as No.6 in the polls and finished seventh at the South Central region meet at the end of the season.
Entering the 2018 season, TCU returns sophomore Evelyn Mandel and junior Lindsay Tomaini, two of its top four runners from last year's regional meet. Both Horned Frogs ran personal-bests at the meet, with Mandel running 21:01.8 and Tomaini running 21:43.3. During the outdoor track season, Mandel reached the West Prelims in the 5000m.
TCU also brings in one of the top distance freshmen in the country. Mariah Castillo was FloTrack's No.7 distance recruit in the country as a senior and was the 2017 California State Cross Country runner-up.
"It's a good starting point for a still growing team," cross country coach Jennifer Fazioli said. "The goal would be to exceed that ranking by the end of the year but that requires consistent training – which appears our women certainly put in over the summer – and everyone remaining healthy coupled with some of our veterans stepping up in their last seasons in a TCU uniform. All of which are realistic and doable. We are in a good place but there is still much work to do in order to earn and maintain that ranking."
The Horned Frogs kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 31, at the Baylor Twilight Invitational in Waco, Texas.
The South Central region consists of twenty teams, including Arkansas, Texas, SMU, Baylor, and Texas A&M. In 2017, TCU was ranked as high as No.6 in the polls and finished seventh at the South Central region meet at the end of the season.
Entering the 2018 season, TCU returns sophomore Evelyn Mandel and junior Lindsay Tomaini, two of its top four runners from last year's regional meet. Both Horned Frogs ran personal-bests at the meet, with Mandel running 21:01.8 and Tomaini running 21:43.3. During the outdoor track season, Mandel reached the West Prelims in the 5000m.
TCU also brings in one of the top distance freshmen in the country. Mariah Castillo was FloTrack's No.7 distance recruit in the country as a senior and was the 2017 California State Cross Country runner-up.
"It's a good starting point for a still growing team," cross country coach Jennifer Fazioli said. "The goal would be to exceed that ranking by the end of the year but that requires consistent training – which appears our women certainly put in over the summer – and everyone remaining healthy coupled with some of our veterans stepping up in their last seasons in a TCU uniform. All of which are realistic and doable. We are in a good place but there is still much work to do in order to earn and maintain that ranking."
The Horned Frogs kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 31, at the Baylor Twilight Invitational in Waco, Texas.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
/ Women's Cross Country
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