Both Wildcat cross country squads demonstrated improvement and toughness at the Western Athletic Conference championships this past week, according to Head Coach Nathan Meeuwenberg.

On the men’s side, the Wildcats faced a setback less than a week before the race when the team’s top runner, Andrew Villa, sophomore from Abilene, suffered a season-ending injury.

“His Achilles flared up about six days prior to the championships,” Meeuwenberg said. “We tried to get him ready to go, but we just couldn’t quite fast enough. He had to drop out after about 2,500 meters.”

Despite losing Villa, who had finished best in every race this season for the Wildcats, ACU stayed competitive.

“We took fifth,” Meeuwenberg said. “We were one point out of fourth, which stings.”

But there was a bright side. Earlier in the season, while competing at the Gerald Richey Invitational at full strength, ACU lost to the University of Texas at Arlington by four points. Conversely, in the WAC tournament, without Villa, the Wildcats finished just one point shy.

Meanwhile, the women’s team continued its developmental trajectory.

Entering the meet with a young roster plagued by injuries and other setbacks, Meeuwenberg said he was pleased with the effort brought by the Wildcats.

“Overall, we were really, really happy,” Meeuwenberg said. “Going into the meet, we had only beaten Tarleton once. They beat us twice. So beating them was a good thing.”

Still, the women finished behind more experienced teams, including Utah Tech. But for the coach, the message remains focused on long-term growth for a team he took over in the summer of 2023.

“We’re gonna get better,” Meeuwenberg said. “Our team is continuing to take positive steps. We will be better in track than we were in cross country.”

Next up, the South Central Regional Championship takes place Nov. 14. The Wildcats are ranked 11th after falling to UTA, which has since taken their 10th-place spot from the week before.

The top two teams on each side advance to the national championship. Although it’s improbable for the Wildcats to advance, the drive remains to stay locked in to the process.

“We just have really, really committed young men and women who are dedicated to a process,” Meeuwenberg said. “There’s some satisfaction there. We’re leaving the world a better place just because of the type of people that we are, launching into that.”