Now in the middle of its season, Texas men’s cross country has goals to hit, and they have a group of experienced runners to help them get there.
So far, the Longhorns have performed consistently well. They opened the season with a first-place finish in the Stormy Seas Opener behind a strong performance by new members of the program, where freshman Aidan Torres and Joaquin De La Cruz set the tone.
Texas obtained seven top-50 finishers and second-place finishes over the next two meets, the UIW and Chili Pepper Invitationals, with the leadership and experience of Texas’ runners playing a role.
“With the smaller roster compared to previous years, the team is, by necessity, a lot closer together,” senior runner Nathanael Berhane said in an email from Texas Athletics. “We’re lucky to have a good balance of older guys … and a set of freshmen who bring some fire to practice.”
After the House v. NCAA settlement led to roster caps, the team was severely limited — cut down to just 10 distance runners. However, even with a smaller roster, the team performed on a high level.
Berhane made his season debut at the UIW meet, finishing behind Torres in a four-mile race to place with a 19:20:0 time. Then, at the following Chili Pepper Invitational, Berhane led the way for all Texas runners as he finished seventh overall with a time of 23:51.1. The senior had a 4:44.6 split after the first mile with a 16:05.7 at the five and a half mile checkpoint.
He continued his success heading into the SEC Cross Country Championships on Friday. Berhane was the Longhorns’ top finisher of the day with a time of 23:42.30, moving up two spots in the final kilometer and receiving third-team honors for his performance.
“Nathanael (Berhane) is a great leader with a tremendous work ethic,” head coach Sarah Smith wrote in an email from Texas Athletics. “His continual progress and achievements are because of his well-executed training, paired with high-level recovery.”
The SEC, going into this year’s championship meet, was expected to be very competitive, with five teams being ranked in the top 30 at the time. The Longhorns wanted to use this momentum to give themselves a shot at bringing in the first conference title win in 32 years.
“The SEC meet is one of the most competitive in the country, and that’s especially true this year,” Berhane said in the email. “There’s not really a clear set of favorites for the team race, and we’re definitely trying to stick our noses in it. We all know that if we can be competitive in the SEC, we can compete nationally as well, so this weekend is a chance to prove ourselves.”
However, the Longhorns fell short of this goal with a seventh-place finish in the championship meet.
Freshman Aidan Torres was the next Longhorn after Berhane to cross the finish line with a time of 24:07.41 in 28th place. Senior Hudson Heikkinen finished four spots behind in 32nd with his time of 24:12.85 for a 20-spot improvement from last season’s conference meet.
Hudson Bennett was the fourth Longhorn to finish with a time of 24:26.16. Tadhg Donnelly finished 51st in his first SEC Championship race with a time of 24:29.75, while Trey Rios was 69th in 25:00.61, and Joaquin De La Cruz was 74th in 25:06.87.
Although they fell short of winning the conference, the Longhorns now turn their attention to the South Central Regionals in hopes of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.
“They are growing in ability and together with each week — that’s what is starting to show on race day,” Smith said in the email. “The consistency and improvement has the team feeling good heading into championship season.”
