Men’s Cross Country Puts It All On The Line To Win 2023 SWAC Championship

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – It was a total team effort as the Texas Southern men’s cross country team won its seventh title in school history following the 2023 SWAC Cross Country Championships at Apalachee Regional Park.
 
“I’m proud of the team and the effort they displayed throughout the meet,” said Vice President of Intercollegiate Dr. Kevin Granger. “Knowing the circumstances they had to overcome prior to the start of the championship and how they performed is a testament to the preparation that was put in by the coaching staff and student-athletes. Congratulations to Coach Duncan and Coach Martinez along with the student-athletes on an outstanding meet.”
 
As what has been quoted by numerous champions over the decades, the path to each championship is different as this year’s path was quite different from previous titles due to factors the team could not control prior to the meet. On Sunday, the team’s travel itinerary changed in an instant due to travel delays en route to Tallahassee, Fla. The Tigers were held up in Charlotte, N.C. for several hours as only part of the squad was able to board the connecting flight to Tallahassee around 6 p.m. local time. Unfortunately, the other half didn’t board a flight until 10 p.m. but the flight they boarded landed two hours away in Destin, Fla. which meant another two-hour drive to the final destination which culminated in a 2:30 a.m. arrival to the hotel.
 
Despite the setback, cross country coach Xavier Martinez didn’t let the adversity affect the team as he quickly seized control of the situation.
 
“I told the guys ‘We don’t have control of this and let’s stay relaxed’,” he said. “Eventually, we will get to Tallahassee but we’re going to stay relaxed. Once we realized there was a delay, we made the most of it and went for a run inside the airport. We focused on controlling the things we can control and not worrying about things we cannot control but we can control our mindsets and the way we feel.”
 
It was a nail biter to the end once the race began as TSU established its position in the top half but was in third place after the first 1,170 kilometers. The team moved up to second after the 2,170-kilometer mark as Jose Gonzalez held his ground in second place while David Livingston moved up the ranks.
 
At the 3,000-kilometer mark, the race turned into an all-Texas affair as SWAC rival Prairie View A&M topped the charts with TSU close behind. The Panthers had four runners within the top 11 spots while Gonzalez was the only Tiger in the top 11 at that point. At the halfway mark (4,000 kilometers), PVAMU still maintained a stronghold, but TSU began to make that final push to put themselves in position to make a late run.
 
With only 1,000 kilometers left and the SWAC Championship at stake, Martinez relayed his final message to the team which was something he has preached all season long.
 
“The way we practice is the way we must run because there are going to be guys who will jump out fast but don’t worry about them. If we run together at practice we’re going to do the same here and sure enough it took every ounce of energy they had until the very end,” he said.
 
With the meet coming to an end, TSU was still behind at the 7,000-kilometer mark as PVAMU had a five-point lead and three runners inside the top 10 compared to only one from TSU. However, the Tigers fought through the pressure and persevered as Gonzalez placed second while Brandon Washington made a late push to move into the top 10 as he surpassed three runners to finish ninth while freshman Jeremiah Barrera (11^th) and senior Dan Lerma (14^th) maintained their positions along with Livingston to seal the seventh title in school history.
 
“We had to push out that last drop in the tank in order to accomplish our goal as we were down five points with only two minutes of running left,” said Martinez. “They really showed up today and persevered. All what happened before the meet didn’t stop them as I’m very proud of the team.”
 
TSU won its second SWAC Cross Country Championship in four seasons as its last title was in 2019. The experience came in handy as a pair of Tigers were part of the 2019 squad as freshmen.
 
“This means a lot as we have two guys (Gonzalez, Lerma) who won a title as freshmen and will end their final season with us as a champion. It was a full circle moment for them,” said Martinez.
 
Gonzalez earned All-SWAC First Team honors while Washington was named to the second team. Head track & field/men’s cross country coach Clyde Duncan, Sr. was named the 2023 SWAC Coach of the Year.