Cross Country

This Week in St. Mary´s University Athletics

SAN ANTONIO—The St. Mary’s University women’s cross country team will head north for the Heartland Conference Championships; the men’s soccer and volleyball teams will also hit the road, while the women’s soccer team will host Newman University this week.

Marcey Morales (Sr., Lytle, Texas) and Ariel Ornales (Fr., Fort Worth) are expected to contend for All-Heartland Conference honors this week at the Heartland Conference Championship Meet, which will be held on the Dallas Baptist University campus. The meet will be held Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. St. Mary’s placed sixth at the meet in 2008.

The Rattler women’s soccer team defeated the University of Texas of the Permian Basin last Thursday in Heartland Conference play. The score was tied 2-2 near the end of the game when Kelly Dowd (Sr., Plano) headed in the ball with just nine minutes left in the game making the score 3-2. The Rattlers had trailed by a 2-0 score at the half, before rallying for the win. The women returned to action Saturday taking on Dallas Baptist University, but fell in a defensive struggle, 1-0. With the loss, the Rattlers saw their two-game win streak end and they now stand at 3-10-1 overall, 3-4-0 in Heartland Conference action. The team will hit the road to face St. Edward’s on Wednesday Oct. 21 in Austin and then return home to close out the week against Newman University on Sunday Oct. 25 at 1 p.m. at St. Mary’s Soccer Field.

The men’s soccer team had a struggle on the road last week. The Rattlers dropped road matches against the University of the Incarnate Word, St. Edward’s and Midwestern State University this past week. With the losses, the Rattlers fell to 4-7-1 overall and 2-4-1 in Heartland Conference play. The Rattlers will continue their road trip this week taking on Newman University on Friday, Oct. 23 and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin Sunday, Oct. 25.

The Rattler volleyball team also had trouble this weekend against UT Permian Basin, who defeated St. Mary’s 25-20, 25-16, 27-25, Friday night at Bill Greehey Arena. The Rattlers fell to Dallas Baptist, 25-17, 25-18, 25-19, on Saturday. With the losses, the volleyball team is now 4-19 overall and 3-6 in Heartland Conference play. The women hit the road this week and take on a vigorous travel schedule facing Newman University Thursday Oct. 22, West Texas A&M Friday Oct. 23 and closing out the week on the road Saturday Oct. 24 when they take on Oklahoma Panhandle State University.

    

Coaching Staff

Head Coach Haley Long

Taking on a dual role in her first year on the St. Mary's coaching staff, Haley Long will serve as the Rattlers' head cross country coach and assistant softball coach, leading with experience and high expectations for success.

Long comes into her new coaching roles as a former athlete herself, having enjoyed an extensive softball career dating back to her star-studded career at Brenham High School in her hometown of Brenham, Texas, where she earned First-Team All-State, Academic All-State and helped her team to a state title. The former right fielder then took her play to the collegiate level, playing her freshman year at Blinn College before finishing her career at the University of Nebraska. After slugging away for a .355 batting average, 43 runs scored, five doubles, 33 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a team-high 10 triples in her sole season at Bilnn, Long became a three-year starter in right field for the University of Nebraska. There, her success led to a Second Team All-Big 12 selection as a sophomore. As a junior competing in the Big 12 championship, Long earned an All-Tournament Team selection. Her three years at the University of Nebraska also gave Long a three-time stint on the Big 12 Commissioners' Honor Roll.

Long completed her bachelor's degree in sociology from the University of Nebraska in 2009 and completed her master's degree in kinesiology at the University of Texas-Permian Basin in 2012.

While completing her master's degree, Long took her first step in coaching as one of Blinn College's assistant softball coaches and helped the Buccaneers to a fourth-place national championship finish in 2012. During her two years on the coaching staff, Blinn received the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year both years.

With a Division I, Big 12 athletic transcript and an accredited coaching background, Long looks forward to being an asset to St. Mary's softball team and taking the cross country team to new heights.

"I'm excited to see what their expectations are of themselves," says Long of her Rattler runners, "and see how they respond to my expectations for them. My expectations of them are to work hard every day and build a work ethic of a winning mentality. I want them to put themselves on the map and know that they do matter. This is going to become a growing program, and we re going to be expected to win."

Long takes on her head cross country and assistant softball coach position with confidence, priming for two teams of Rattler talent to work with.

"I'm just excited to get started," she said.

2012 St. Mary's Cross Country Roster