Every week, St. Edward's head cross country coach Steven Cary reiterates the importance of a podium effort to his women's teams. The Hilltoppers can see where it takes them at the Lone Star Conference Championships on Saturday.
The women will compete on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. at River Creek Golf Course in Wichita Falls, Texas. Although the gap between last year's 8th-place finish and into the top three might seem longer than the 6,000 meters the Hilltoppers will run, it's a goal they've been closing in on each meet this season with a fall of personal bests and week-to-week improvement.
"This team has run faster every time we go out. Some folks might think you can only do that for so long, but when you look at the results, they've consistently gotten quicker," Cary says. "Our goal all season has been to put in a podium effort, so we're not treating this as anything different. We've emphasized getting better each week instead of place."
St. Edward's has been anchored all season by FAITH BROTHERS, a graduate student who broke the program's 5K record she initially set in 2021 by more than 10 seconds at this year's Chile Pepper Festival with a second-place finish at 18:19.4.
Brothers finished 28 seconds away from an all-conference finish but boast times that would firmly qualify her according to last year's results with a personal-best 22:36.4 finish in her previous 6K at last year's South Central Region Championships.
Brothers broke her record at the Chile Pepper Festival, but her final performance at the Dallas Baptist Old Glory Gallop also caught Cary's attention. Feeling under the weather, Brothers didn't have her best race but refused to quit, finishing second on the team and 14th overall with a time of 18:34.4.
"She started strong, but it just wasn't there. What I loved about it is where she could've thrown in the towel, but she chose to run for her team," Cary says. "Even though it wasn't her best time this season, it would have been one of her better times in previous years. When you look at how she raced, there was never a moment where I felt she was giving up. And if that's an off day for her, then we're doing pretty dang good."
First-year Mia Rivera paced the team in the final meet with a time of 18:24.9 to place 10th. Rivera made a splash in her first collegiate race, placing second at the 5.5K Concordia Cross Country Classic with a time of 21:30.7 and earning LSC Freshman Runner of the Week.
"It's exciting having a first-year come in and make an impact on the team," Cary says. "I'm super proud of Mia. I don't think she fully understands her potential."
The team has also received solid contributions from Faith Loftus and MIA SANCHEZ, who each set personal bests at DBU Old Glory Gallop, getting into the 18-minute range at 18:52.7 and 18:57.5.
"When Faith and Mia broke 19 minutes, that's something I knew they could get to two weeks before that. They've improved every week in practice," Cary says. "I'd go so far as to say I don't know what their best could be. I don't think they've reached their potential, and when it clicks, it's going to be special."
Moving up in the standings will also require depth on the roster from the likes of SYDNEY SMITH, DANIELLE LOZANO, MAGGIE RITTMEYER, CAROLINE WILDRICK, Jenna Saunders, and Delaney Long, who've all made great strides.
"I feel great about the team. Our goal is to contend for one of the top spots, and we've had several impact moments this season where we've come away stronger mentally and emotionally," Cary says. "What I love about this group is they're very connected. They run for each other in a way that's competitive and also supportive."
Dallas Baptist ranked eighth nationally and fourth in the region, followed by West Texas A&M at 26th nationally and eighth in the region. The Hilltoppers entered the season voted eighth in the pre-season conference rankings. They'll be looking to improve upon that at the Championships on Saturday with another podium performance.
