Battling to keep their burnt orange distinct from the surrounding maroon, gold and orange competitors, juniors Sara Sutherland and Marielle Hall finished third (20:19.7) and sixth (20:32.7) at Saturday’s Big 12 Cross Country Championships.

“My goal was to be top three, and I was,” Sutherland, the first Longhorn to finish that high at the meet since 1998, said. “Last year at the Big 12 Championships, I kind of crashed and burned the last [kilometer]. It was good to be able to have that mental image and know that it’s not necessarily pertinent to race the way that everybody else races. I’m comfortable and I’m working the way that works for me.”

Sutherland and Hall’s finishes mark the first time Texas had two top-10 runners at the Big 12s since 2003. Along with teammate Megan Siebert in 15th place, the three juniors received All-Big 12 honors.

As a team, Texas finished third, missing runner-up Oklahoma State’s 81 by just six points. No. 2 Iowa State defended its title with a 34-point finish, with the top two runners and five of the top 15.

“When you look at the piece of paper, it’s a bit disappointing,” assistant coach Stephen Sisson said. “But if you look at each one of the individuals, we had a great performance.”

The Longhorns next compete in the NCAA South Central Regional on Nov. 17.