RC women take 2nd at ASU Blue & Gold Invite
The Ranger College women's cross-country team continued to prove it deserves its national ranking this past weekend with another stellar outing. The Lady Rangers put four runners in the top 20 and sprinted their way to a second-place finish at the Angelo State University Blue & Gold Invitational. The meet, which featured several NCAA programs, was held on Oct. 16 in San Angelo.
"It was continued improvement for the women," said RC head coach Kathy Graham. "The women earned second in a field that included Texas A&M International, West Texas A&M and other top-notch D2 schools. They competed and fought for places."
Dallas Baptist University edged Ranger for the top spot in the team standings. Dallas Baptist runners claimed six of the top seven spots, including first-place by Madison Brown, who covered the 6-kilometer course in a time of 22 minutes, 13.4 seconds. Dallas Baptist and Ranger were among seven teams participating.
Graham said the Lady Rangers' ability to run as a pack was one of the main reasons for its success and their potential to build on a No. 9 ranking in the national polls.
"The women ran very close together and that is their strength," she said. "They had an excellent race."
Sophomore Jessica Tomas-Billot and freshman Estela Dorantes highlighted Ranger's efforts on the trail. Thomas-Billot posted a time of 23:41.3 and placed 11th in the individual standings. Dorantes checked in at No. 14 with a mark of 24:09.3.
Kaylyn De Le Rosa and Natali Mireles also legged out top 20 positions. De Le Rosa was 16th at 24:29.3, while Mireles was 18th at 24:33.3.
Alexa Reyes was Ranger College's fifth-fastest runner. She finished 23rd with a time of 25:08.1. Teammate Aylin Huerta was 25th at 25:13.3.
Other RC runners competing in the field of more than 70 runners included Melohdee Marroguin (28th), Fae Gonzalez (30th), Neveah Sarabia (31st) and Ana De La Cruz (63rd).