UIW Cross Country Teams Compete at Southland Conference Championship

Picture credits to Southland Conference

The University of the Incarnate Word women's and men's cross country teams excelled in this year's Southland Conference (SLC) Championship. The SLC is a collegiate University-level athletic conference that operates within the South-Central Texas region. It is currently comprised of 12 full-time members across Texas and Louisiana.

UIW's cross country teams competed against the other 11 members of the SLC, the conclusion of the conference ending with the women's team placing fifth and the men's team placing first.

"To accomplish what they accomplished took hours and hours of work and many, many miles," shared Derek Riedel, head cross country coach. "Some of the men were running close to or at 100 miles a week. They love what they do, and it shows every day in their work ethic and determination. The women showed this season what a cohesive team can do. They supported each other and pushed each other every day. I am thankful for that."

This year, the women's team was comprised of nine runners, with the majority of them being freshmen and sophomores. Riedel noted that this season was essential for these young runners to gain valuable experience and grow together as a team. Some runners also demonstrated their skills by setting personal bests. Riedel and the student-athletes look forward to returning next year to showcase the athleticism they will continue to develop.

In addition to the men's team taking home the first-place conference win, they also reclaimed the SLC title after a tough lost last year, when they fell short by one point. "We wanted to make sure that wouldn't happen again. The men were focused, cohesive and determined and they wanted to show the rest of the conference that there was no doubt they were the best team this year," said Riedel.

Men's cross country senior Griffin Neal stood out as a star athlete, leading his team to their victory, earned First-Team honors at the Southland All-Conference selections and individually qualified for the SLC National Championships.

"Qualifying for nationals felt genuinely unreal," stated Neal. "It was something I had dreamed of since I discovered that you could run cross country in college. I came from a baseball background with very little running experience before high school. Though I doubted my ability to qualify for nationals this season due to some illnesses and other hiccups along the way, I'm super grateful to have the opportunity that everyone in college running dreams of attaining."

Congratulations to the cross country teams on their wins and for an outstanding season!