Texas Tech University Athletics
Saturday, September 4
Lubbock, Texas
Texas Tech Athletics
vs
TTU Open
Red Raiders Host TTU Open
September 02, 2021 | Cross Country
Texas Tech opens the 2021 cross country season at home, hosting the TTU Open Saturday morning
LUBBOCK, Texas – The Texas Tech cross country team will open the 2021 season at home on Saturday when the Red Raiders host the TTU Open at LCU Cross Country Course.
The men's 4-mile run is set to start at 8 a.m. Saturday morning with the women's 5K slated for approximately 8:40 a.m. following the completion of the men's race.
"Having our home meet as the first meet is a great opportunity for our athletes to see where their summer training has been and run in front of a home crowd," said head coach Jon Murray. "This is a chance to see where the journey for the season begins. It will be exciting to see what both the men and women can do."
The meet will feature Angelo State, Claredon College, Eastern New Mexico, Lubbock Christian, New Mexico Highlands, New Mexico JC, UT-Permian Basin, UTEP, Wayland Baptist, West Texas A&M and Western Texas College.
"The race fields will showcase the best local junior colleges, NAIA and NCAA Division II schools and UTEP. UTEP has a great tradition in cross country and will bring a strong contingency of athletes to both races," said Murray. "It will be a good mix of athletic divisions and nationalities within each race. Expect a competitive race for each individual championship on Saturday. There will be several athletes running who will be competing for a national championship in their division later this fall."
The women are highlighted by a couple of upperclassmen: Jazmyn Martinez and Binta Ka, as well as a newcomer in Texas transfer Halena Rahmaan. Martinez and Ka each posted career-best finishes in the 6k last season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. The two upperclassmen crossed with nearly identical times at the Big 12 Championships, finishing in the top 40 of the field. Finishing one place above them at the Championships was Rahmaan, then at Texas.
"The women return quite an experienced group," said Murray. "With the addition of five new runners, it will be fun to see what the group puts together."
The men's squad is led by sophomore Edward Rush and seniors Luke Estes and Eric Maclean. As a freshman last season, Rush paced the Red Raiders at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater and finished in the top 30 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station. Maclean ran a personal best in College Station with a top 50 finish at the Invitational. Estes improved upon his times last season with a top 60 finish in the 8k at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
"The men's team also returns a seasoned group and actually has the entire team from last year running," said Murray. "Both groups are ready to get the competitive part of the season started."
The race will take place at the LCU Cross Country Course, formerly known as the Chaparral Ridge Golf Course, located at 3103 Frankford Ave. The top ten individual finishers as well as the winning team will receive awards.
For the latest information on the Texas Tech track & field and cross-country teams, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The men's 4-mile run is set to start at 8 a.m. Saturday morning with the women's 5K slated for approximately 8:40 a.m. following the completion of the men's race.
"Having our home meet as the first meet is a great opportunity for our athletes to see where their summer training has been and run in front of a home crowd," said head coach Jon Murray. "This is a chance to see where the journey for the season begins. It will be exciting to see what both the men and women can do."
The meet will feature Angelo State, Claredon College, Eastern New Mexico, Lubbock Christian, New Mexico Highlands, New Mexico JC, UT-Permian Basin, UTEP, Wayland Baptist, West Texas A&M and Western Texas College.
"The race fields will showcase the best local junior colleges, NAIA and NCAA Division II schools and UTEP. UTEP has a great tradition in cross country and will bring a strong contingency of athletes to both races," said Murray. "It will be a good mix of athletic divisions and nationalities within each race. Expect a competitive race for each individual championship on Saturday. There will be several athletes running who will be competing for a national championship in their division later this fall."
The women are highlighted by a couple of upperclassmen: Jazmyn Martinez and Binta Ka, as well as a newcomer in Texas transfer Halena Rahmaan. Martinez and Ka each posted career-best finishes in the 6k last season at the Arturo Barrios Invitational. The two upperclassmen crossed with nearly identical times at the Big 12 Championships, finishing in the top 40 of the field. Finishing one place above them at the Championships was Rahmaan, then at Texas.
"The women return quite an experienced group," said Murray. "With the addition of five new runners, it will be fun to see what the group puts together."
The men's squad is led by sophomore Edward Rush and seniors Luke Estes and Eric Maclean. As a freshman last season, Rush paced the Red Raiders at the Cowboy Jamboree in Stillwater and finished in the top 30 at the Arturo Barrios Invitational in College Station. Maclean ran a personal best in College Station with a top 50 finish at the Invitational. Estes improved upon his times last season with a top 60 finish in the 8k at the Arturo Barrios Invitational.
"The men's team also returns a seasoned group and actually has the entire team from last year running," said Murray. "Both groups are ready to get the competitive part of the season started."
The race will take place at the LCU Cross Country Course, formerly known as the Chaparral Ridge Golf Course, located at 3103 Frankford Ave. The top ten individual finishers as well as the winning team will receive awards.
For the latest information on the Texas Tech track & field and cross-country teams, visit TexasTech.com or follow @TexasTechTF on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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