Calderon, Rynard race to program-best finishes at SCAC Championships

Calderon, Rynard race to program-best finishes at SCAC Championships

KERRVILLE, Texas – Texas Lutheran Cross Country runners Caleb Calderon(Austin/Akins) and Ashley Rynard (Temple/Temple) each claimed program-best finishes and All-Conference honors Saturday at the 2018 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championships at Schreiner University.
 
In the men's race, Calderon finished eighth overall with an 8K time of 26 minutes, 39.576 seconds.
 
In the women's race, Rynard placed 10th overall with a 6K time of 24:02.509.
 
In the women's team standings, the TLU took fourth overall out of seven teams. TLU scored 110 points. Trinity (20), Colorado College (36) and University of Dallas (106) took the top three spots. Southwestern (138), Austin College (153) and Schreiner (184) rounded out the field.
 
In the men's team standings, TLU finished seventh out of eight teams. The Bulldogs ran with a squad of five with several runners missing due to injury. TLU scored 164 points.
 
Trinity won the SCAC Men's Cross Country Championship with a score of 35. The Tigers were followed by Colorado College (41), Johnson & Wales (93), Southwestern (104), Austin College (149), University of Dallas (162), TLU, and Schreiner (217).
 
"We finished the season on a positive note," said Darlene Holland, TLU's head coach for men and women's cross country. "Our women battled hard with Dallas for that third place team standings and fell a little short. Our team ran well and ran some season bests today. What more can you ask for."
 
Rynard became the first Bulldog to claim a women's cross country All-SCAC distinction.

"(Ashley) ran tough," said Holland. "Her racing shoe came untied a little after the halfway mark, and she ended up taking it off and tossing it aside. So, she ran in a racing spike and a sock the remainder of the race."

"Many of the ladies moved way up in their anticipated standings and deserve credit for a race well run."

The Bulldog Men has been hit hard by injuries this year and scrambled to get five healthy runners to the start line.
 
"For the guys we lacked depth and just last week lost our number 3 runner," said Holland. "We really had a gap back to our number four and five runners at the championships. The guys worked hard throughout the race, and we saw season bests for many."

Calderon became just the second Bulldog to claim All-SCAC honors. He is the highest finisher in school history at an SCAC Championship meet. The Bulldogs have existed as a program for five years and been in the SCAC in men's cross country in each of those five seasons.
 
Freshman Cassius Serff-Roberts (Austin/Akins) placed 27th overall and jumped into the TLU Cross Country record books with a strong freshman time of 28:34.388.

The Bulldogs' next races will be at the 2018 NCAA South/Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships. Only a few individuals will race at the regional championships. Berry College in Rome, Ga. will serve as the regional host. The regional meet is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 10.