Tigers Cross Country Makes History At League Championships

Saturday, October 29

Cincinnati, Ohio

9 am

University of Memphis

American Athletic Conference

Julian Sanchez-Pinto, 2016 Men's Cross Country

Photo by: Steve Austell

Tigers Cross Country Makes History At League Championships

Oct 29, 2016 | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

American Athletic Conference Championships/Men's Results American Athletic Conference Championships/Women's Results

Women third, men sixth at conference meet Saturday.

WEST CHESTER, Ohio – The University of Memphis cross country teams entered the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championships Saturday with opportunities to make history.

And, the Tigers delivered.

The Tigers women's squad recorded its highest finish at a conference championships meet in program history with a third-place performance. Memphis' previous best finish at a league event was fifth at the 1985 and 1986 Metro Conference and 1991 Great Midwest Conference championships.

The Memphis women placed third (96 points) behind only nationally-ranked SMU (45) and defending conference champion Tulsa (47). Connecticut (145) and UCF (157) rounded out the top-five on the women's side.

Running with few numbers and injuries all season, the men's team overcame those obstacles to post a sixth-place finish (123 points) at Saturday's championships. The Tigers improved from their ninth-place finish a year ago.

Memphis' 123 points were only 14 away from a top-three finish Saturday. Tulsa defended its league title (22 points), followed by Tulane (101), Cincinnati (109), Connecticut (114) and Temple (121). Of the five teams ahead of the Tigers, four were ranked in the most recent regional polls.

"Overall, both teams placed higher than last year, so I'm pleased with that," said head coach Kevin Robinson. "The women placed as well as they could, and I'm proud with how hard they competed.

"The men's team ran well and just came up short in a very close and competitive race. There were not many points that separated us from second and third place."

More history was made on the women's side Saturday. Senior Martina Rodriguez Sala placed third in a time of 20:30.4 and junior Chelsea Ladd was fourth in a time of 20:37.3, giving the Tigers two top-five performers in a conference championships meet in program history.

Rodriguez Sala's third-place finish was the highest in program history, bettering her own mark of fourth place at the 2015 event. Ladd's fourth-place finish was her best at a league meet, and for a second-straight race, she shattered her 6k personal-best time. Ladd ran a 21:13.1 at the Oct. 14 Crimson Classic, and bested that time by 35.8 seconds Saturday.

For their efforts, Rodriguez Sala and Ladd earned All-American Athletic Conference honors, marking the first time Memphis had two female performer receive all-league distinction in the same season. It is the third-straight all-league recognition for Rodriguez Sala, becoming the first female runner to receive postseason conference accolades three times in program history.

In addition to the two top-five finishes, Arnica Zitting and Bailey Kennemer placed among the race's top-30. Zitting was 16^th in a 6k personal-best time of 21:26.3, and Kennemer placed 26^th in a time of 21:56.9. Zitting's previous best 6k time was 21:32.8 at the 2015 NCAA South Region Championships.

The four top-30 performances were the most by a Memphis women's squad at a league championships meet in program history.

On the men's side, junior college transfer Julian Sanchez-Pinto and sophomore Brady Steele set the pace in the 8k run with top-20 finishes. Sanchez-Pinto placed 16^th in a time of 25:20.0, and Steele was 19^th in a time of 25:31.4. Steele's time was a personal best, improving on his previous best of 25:37.7 at the Rhodes College Invitational earlier this season.

Sophomore Matthew Viveiros was the Tigers' third finisher across the line in 26^th place (25:43.4), followed by James Durkin in 30^th (26:01.8) and LaForrest Church in 32^nd (26:07.8). Durkin and Church both shattered their previous-best 8k times. Durkin beat his previous-best by 15 seconds (26:16.1), and Church by over a minute (27:34).

"The women's team will lose Martina to graduation, which obviously is tough to replace for next season," said Robinson. "But, I feel our women's team has some experience and talent runners returning that can step up for us. For the men, they were so young this season. I expect this group to improve and make a move next season."

The Tigers' 2016 campaign continues Nov. 11 when they travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to run in the NCAA South Region Championships.

Memphis Men's Results (Team Finish: 6^th)/Men's Race: 8k
16. Julian Sanchez-Pinto* 25:20.0
19. Brady Steele* 25:31.5
26. Matthew Viveiros* 25:43.4
30. James Durkin* 26:01.8
32. LaForrest Church* 26:07.8
34. Matthew Kamph 26:10.4
50. Brock Ballard 27:15.9

Memphis Women's Results (Team Finish: 3^rd)/Women's Race: 6k
3. Martina Rodriguez Sala* 20:30.4
4. Chelsea Ladd* 20:37.3
16. Arnica Zitting* 21:26.3
26. Bailey Kennemer* 21:56.9
47. Megan Briley* 22:43.9
57. Mary Betsy Minkler 23:12.3
58. Paige Sandwell 23:12.8
*finish counted in team score