University of Houston
NCAA Championships
Barraza Completes Season in 60th at Nationals
11/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Cross Country
HOUSTON â€" Houston Cross Country student-athlete Brian Barraza finished a memorable junior season with a 60th place finish at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Saturday, at E.P Tom Sawyer Park, in Louisville, Ky.
Barraza ran the final 10K race of the year in 30:40.8 to cap an impressive season in which saw him become the first Houston distance runner to win a regional cross country meet. Barraza earned his spot in the NCAA Championships after claiming gold at the NCAA South Central Regional where he ran 30:07.3.
Barraza opened the race in 42nd place after running 5:46.9 through the 2K split, before falling to 62nd through the 5.2K. After slipping to 73rd with 2,000 meters to go, Barraza surged back through the field to pick up 13 spots before crossing the finish line.
For Barraza, the trip to Nationals was the second of his career after the El Paso, Texas, native qualified for the 2014 NCAA Championships a year ago with a fourth place finish at the NCAA South Central Regional.
Barraza began his season with a win at the 2015 Rice Invitational, where he ran the 5.5K in 18:33.72. He was named American Athletic Conference Athlete of the Week after again defeating Aouani by over seven seconds. The former Franklin High School standout also claimed an individual championship at the Texas A&M Invitational on Sept. 26.
Barraza earned All-American Athletic Conference honors after his fourth place finish at The American Championships on Oct. 31. He would then go on to earn All-NCAA South Central Regional honors and was named NCAA South Central Regional Male Athlete of the Year after winning the regional.
In all five of his team races this season, Barraza was, Houston's top finisher, including his top-25 finish at the Pre-National meet on Oct. 17. Barraza finished 25th in 23:42.4 at the same course, E.P. Tom Sawyer Park.
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