Saturday, November 2
Waco, Texas
12:00 p.m.
West Virginia University
vs
Big 12 Championship
Photo by: Liz Parke
Four Top-15 Finishes Lead WVU at Big 12s
November 02, 2019 06:07 PM | Cross Country
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Four Mountaineers collected All-Big 12 Honors as the West Virginia University cross country team finished in third place at the 2019 Big 12 Championship on Saturday, hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas.
Redshirt senior Candace Archer led the charge for WVU, crossing the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course finish line in a 6k time of 20:46.8. Fellow redshirt senior Olivia Hill and junior Hayley Jackson also placed inside the top-10, as the duo collected ninth (20:54.7) and 10th (20:55.8), respectively.
Freshman Ceili McCabe was the next Mountaineer finisher with a time of 21:03.9. McCabe finished 13th and was the first freshman runner to cross the line at the conference meet. Behind her was sophomore Charlotte Wood, who completed WVU's scoring with a 17th-place finish in 21:17.1.
"We ran our hearts out today, but I won't lie, this one hurts," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "We have spoken about winning this meet since the first day of practice, and to come away in this fashion will sting for a few days. I am very proud of this group, though, and I couldn't be happier with the way we dedicated ourselves to this meet over the last three months.
"Losing a meet that you know you ran all-out for is bittersweet; however, we have the opportunity to take this performance and get better at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in two weeks. Very frustrated, yet very proud is not a bad place to be in as we prepare for the regional meet."
Archer, Hill, Jackson and McCabe collected All-Big 12 honors on Saturday after finishing inside the top-15. The honor is the second for Jackson and the first for Archer, Hill and McCabe. WVU's four All-Big 12 honorees is its most in a single Big 12 Championship in program history.
The last time four Mountaineers earned all-conference accolades in a single championship was in 1994 when Charity Wochera, Carisa Brown, Heather Bury and Kerryn Davidson led WVU to an Atlantic 10 Championship victory, its first conference title in program history.
All-time, thirteen Mountaineers have claimed All-Big 12 accolades. Most recently, Jackson picked up the honor at the 2018 Big 12 Championship after finishing eighth with a time of 20:42.
West Virginia earned 56 team points to finish in third place in Waco. Oklahoma State took home the conference title with 52 points, while Texas finished second with 54. Iowa State (77) and Texas Tech (155) rounded out the top five.
Saturday's third-place finish was the team's top finish at the conference meet since the 2016 Big 12 Championship when WVU finished third, led by All-Big 12 honoree Jillian Forsey in second place (20:32). It also marked the third time the Mountaineers have finished in third place this season.
Five other Mountaineers also represented WVU at the Big 12 Championship. Junior Bree Warren rounded out the top 20 with a time of 21:24, while redshirt junior Antigone Archer was right behind her in 21st place (21:28.1). Redshirt freshman Katherine Dowie crossed the line in 21:36.3, good for 25th.
Redshirt sophomore Marianne Abdalah also finished inside the top-30 in 27th place (21:39.9), while redshirt junior Sarah Wills finished in 47th with a time of 22:14.2.
Saturday's meet marked the first time Baylor has hosted the championship since 2013. WVU collected its top finish in program history at the Bears' home course, tallying 104 team points to finish in second place.
WVU now turns its attention to the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, set for Friday, Nov. 15, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The race will mark the Mountaineers' second trip to Lehigh University's Goodman Campus Cross Country Course, after competing in the Lehigh Invitational earlier this season. The team earned a third-place finish on Aug. 30, as Hill crossed the line in second place to lead WVU.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Redshirt senior Candace Archer led the charge for WVU, crossing the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course finish line in a 6k time of 20:46.8. Fellow redshirt senior Olivia Hill and junior Hayley Jackson also placed inside the top-10, as the duo collected ninth (20:54.7) and 10th (20:55.8), respectively.
Freshman Ceili McCabe was the next Mountaineer finisher with a time of 21:03.9. McCabe finished 13th and was the first freshman runner to cross the line at the conference meet. Behind her was sophomore Charlotte Wood, who completed WVU's scoring with a 17th-place finish in 21:17.1.
"We ran our hearts out today, but I won't lie, this one hurts," WVU coach Sean Cleary said. "We have spoken about winning this meet since the first day of practice, and to come away in this fashion will sting for a few days. I am very proud of this group, though, and I couldn't be happier with the way we dedicated ourselves to this meet over the last three months.
"Losing a meet that you know you ran all-out for is bittersweet; however, we have the opportunity to take this performance and get better at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional in two weeks. Very frustrated, yet very proud is not a bad place to be in as we prepare for the regional meet."
Archer, Hill, Jackson and McCabe collected All-Big 12 honors on Saturday after finishing inside the top-15. The honor is the second for Jackson and the first for Archer, Hill and McCabe. WVU's four All-Big 12 honorees is its most in a single Big 12 Championship in program history.
The last time four Mountaineers earned all-conference accolades in a single championship was in 1994 when Charity Wochera, Carisa Brown, Heather Bury and Kerryn Davidson led WVU to an Atlantic 10 Championship victory, its first conference title in program history.
All-time, thirteen Mountaineers have claimed All-Big 12 accolades. Most recently, Jackson picked up the honor at the 2018 Big 12 Championship after finishing eighth with a time of 20:42.
West Virginia earned 56 team points to finish in third place in Waco. Oklahoma State took home the conference title with 52 points, while Texas finished second with 54. Iowa State (77) and Texas Tech (155) rounded out the top five.
Saturday's third-place finish was the team's top finish at the conference meet since the 2016 Big 12 Championship when WVU finished third, led by All-Big 12 honoree Jillian Forsey in second place (20:32). It also marked the third time the Mountaineers have finished in third place this season.
Five other Mountaineers also represented WVU at the Big 12 Championship. Junior Bree Warren rounded out the top 20 with a time of 21:24, while redshirt junior Antigone Archer was right behind her in 21st place (21:28.1). Redshirt freshman Katherine Dowie crossed the line in 21:36.3, good for 25th.
Redshirt sophomore Marianne Abdalah also finished inside the top-30 in 27th place (21:39.9), while redshirt junior Sarah Wills finished in 47th with a time of 22:14.2.
Saturday's meet marked the first time Baylor has hosted the championship since 2013. WVU collected its top finish in program history at the Bears' home course, tallying 104 team points to finish in second place.
WVU now turns its attention to the 2019 NCAA Mid-Atlantic Regional, set for Friday, Nov. 15, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The race will mark the Mountaineers' second trip to Lehigh University's Goodman Campus Cross Country Course, after competing in the Lehigh Invitational earlier this season. The team earned a third-place finish on Aug. 30, as Hill crossed the line in second place to lead WVU.
For more information on the Mountaineers, visit WVUsports.com and follow WVUXCTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
/ Cross Country
Jack Bicknell Jr. | Aug. 7
Thursday, August 07
Sean Cleary/Ceili McCabe | Nov. 19
Tuesday, November 19
XC: Ceili McCabe Big 12 Championship Post-Race Interview
Friday, November 01
Petal Palmer - 2024 Wilma Rudolph Award Recipient
Monday, June 10
