LAKE CHARLES, La. – Junior N Vanee Anchike earned second team all-conference honors with the third-fastest 6K time in program history as The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) Vaqueros women's cross country team placed third at the Southland Conference (SLC) Championships Friday at the Enos Derbonne Multi-Sport Complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
 
Anchike crossed the line in 20:59.45 to finish 10th. Freshman Harlingen South alum Jessica De Leon took 19th in 21:18.70, the 10th-fastest 6K in program history, and senior Kailey Salazar was 20th in 21:28.57.
 
Junior Santa Maria alum Mia Picazo (22:06.51) and freshman Economedes alum Maddison Surita (22:16.50) rounded out the scoring with 31st and 38th place finishes, respectively. Junior Lilian Mateo also competed and was 54th in 23:02.12.
 
Stephen F. Austin (SFA) won the women's team title with 32 points and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi followed in second with 81. UTRGV finished with 116 points, just five behind fourth-place Houston Christian University (HCU) (121). UIW (135) and Lamar (146) rounded out the top six. Corpus Christi junior Elizabeth Khatevi won the individual title in 18:53.6.
 
The Vaqueros men finished seventh in the team standings with 250 points. Senior McAllen Rowe alum Kevin Cardenas paced UTRGV with a 45th place finish in 25:50.32, followed closely by sophomore McAllen Memorial alum Roehl Rodriguez in 47th in 25:57.30.
 
Freshman Brock Morales took 59th in 26:40.53, freshman Vanguard Rembrandt alum Gael Gonzalez was 73rd in 27:22.81 and freshman PSJA Memorial alum Diego Piña rounded out the scoring in 80th in 27:57.07.
 
SFA won the men's team title with 16 points, followed by Corpus Christi (53), McNeese (75), UIW (94) and Lamar (146). SFA freshman Eliud Kipkosgei took the individual crown in 23:31.4. Corpus Christi earned four points toward the South Texas Showdown, presented by Rally Credit Union, as the men's and women's teams finished ahead of UTRGV.
 
UTRGV's next meet will be the NCAA South Central Regional on Nov. 13 in Bryan-College Station, Texas.
 
UTRGV Individual Results
Women's 6K
10. N Vanee Anchike, 20:59.45
· 3^rd in program history
19. Jessica De Leon, 21:18.70
· 10^th in program history
20. Kailey Salazar, 21:28.57
31. Mia Picazo, 22:06.51
38. Maddison Surita, 22:16.50
54. Lilian Mateo, 23:02.12
 
Men's 8K
45. Kevin Cardenas, 25:50.32
47. Roehl Rodriguez, 25:57.30
59. Brock Morales, 26:40.53
73. Gael Gonzalez, 27:22.81
80. Diego Piña, 27:57.07
 
Women's Team Standings
1. Stephen F. Austin, 32 points
2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 81
3. UTRGV, 116
4. HCU, 121
5. UIW, 135
6. Lamar, 146
7. McNeese, 148
8. LSU New Orleans, 200
9. East Texas A&M, 215
10. Nicholls, 233
11. Northwestern State, 337
12. Southeastern, 369
 
Men's Team Standings
1. Stephen F. Austin, 16 points
2. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 53
3. McNeese, 75
4. UIW, 94
5. Lamar, 146
6. HCU, 167
7. UTRGV, 250
8. LSU New Orleans, 268
9. East Texas A&M, 281
10. Nicholls, 298
11. Southeastern, 303
12. Northwestern State, 305
 
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