SMU Cross Country Wins Inaugural AAC Championship

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MADISON, Conn. (SMU) — The SMU cross country team placed first and captured the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship on Saturday, Nov. 2 in Madison, Conn. The championship was the fifth in the last six years (2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013) and third straight for the Mustangs. The previous four conference titles came in Conference USA. SMU had six runners earn all-conference honors and finished as the team finished with 29 points beating second-place Louisville by 32 points. Rounding out the top five was UConn, UCF and Rutgers.

Head Coach Cathy Casey earned Coach of the Year honors, garnering her fifth

accolade since her arrival to the Hilltop.

In addition to the six Ponies who earned All-Conference distinction, five of them placed in the top ten.

Freshmen Tova Magnusson and Agnes Sjöström crossed the line in the top five, with Magnusson’s time of 20:23.16 good for second and Sjöström’s 20:33.70 good for fourth. Sophomore Melanie Stemper placed sixth in 20:43.91, with classmate Karoline Skatteboe close behind in seventh in 20:49.46. Senior Caitlin Keen and sophomore Holly Archer were the final all-conference honorees for SMU, taking 10th in 21:03.84 and 11th in 21:04.19, respectively.

Also competing for the Mustangs, sophomore Shanoah Souza finished just outside the top 15 as she crossed the finish line with a time of 21:21.80 in 16th place. Freshmen Anna Nelson and Julie Vanderhout finished in 46th (23:14.88) and 50th (23:31.04), respectively.

SMU is back in action on Saturday, November 16 at the South Central Regional Championship hosted by Baylor in Waco, Texas.