Cross Country

Cross Country Finishes 6th in Final Tuneup

The Rattlers celebrate at last week's UIW Invitational. (File Photo: Antonio Morano Photography / www.moranomemories.photoreflect.com)

SAN ANGELO, Texas — The St. Mary’s cross country team finished sixth in the Angelo State Blue and Gold Classic in its last efforts to prepare for the Heartland Conference Meet.

Freshman Olivia Lara (El Paso, Texas) led the Rattlers with a 24th–place finish of 21:04.08, followed by Ariel Ornelas (Jr., Arlington, Texas) with a 30th–place finish of 21:54.43 on Tuesday.

Raquel Quintero (So., Corpus Christi, Texas) and Rebekah Rubio (Sr., New Braunfels, Texas) joined their fellow Rattlers shortly after with 39th– and– 41st–place finishes, respectively.

The Rattlers head into the Heartland Conference Meet with the confidence of a second–place finish in the first meet of the season and a two–time the Heartland Conference Runner of the Week winner in newcomer Jessica Waninger (Jr., Santa Claus, Ind.).

St. Mary’s will step up to the starting line at the Heartland Conference Meet Sat., Oct. 22 in Laredo, Texas at 10:30 a.m.

St. Mary’s University, as a Catholic Marianist University, fosters the formation of people in faith and educates leaders for the common good through community service, integrated liberal arts and professional education, and academic excellence. The University has six athletic national titles: men’s basketball (1989–NAIA), baseball (2001–NCAA Div. II), softball (1986–NAIA and 2002–NCAA Div. II) and an individual national champion in men’s golf (2006–NCAA Div. II) and a national academic championship in men’s golf (2009–NCAA Div. II). St. Mary’s also had more than 40 percent of its athletes named to conference, regional and/or national honor rolls this past year. St. Mary’s student–athletes graduation rate is 65 percent, higher than the NCAA Division II average of 55 percent. To learn more about St. Mary's, visit www.stmarytx.edu/athletics.

    

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