RICHARDSON, TX (10.26.17) - After the program's first-ever runner-up finish a year ago, the UT Dallas men's cross country team has its sights set on bigger hardware this fall as the Comets run in the 2017 American Southwest Conference Championships Saturday morning, held at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

ASC PREVIEW

The Comets have recorded top five finishes in four of their five meets this season and enter Saturday's eight-kilometer race hungry for the program's first conference championship. The men's race will start at 8:15 a.m., prior to the women's event.

Junior John Will, a native of Virginia Beach, Va., has been the Comets' top finisher in three of the four meets he has competed in this fall. As a freshman, Wall finished 20th at the ASC Championships, earning second team All-ASC honors, but did not compete in 2015. Last fall, he placed 38th at the ASC Championships with a time of 30:21. This season, will has a season-best 8K time of 27:48, when he placed 32nd at the Rhodes Invitational. That time would have placed second at last year's conference meet.

A native of Round Rock, freshman Andres Uriegas will be heading back to his hometown this weekend after serving as the Comets' top finisher in UTD's remaining two meets this fall. Uriegas has a top 8K time this fall of 27:19, when he placed seventh at the ETBU Invitational. Uriegas was second on the squad behind Will in his remaining three meets.

Junior Alireza Nourani was the Comets' No. 2 runner once and No. 3 twice this fall and will be looking to become a three-time All-ASC performer this weekend. A native of Plano, Nourani earned first team All-ASC honors and ASC Freshman of the Year recognition in 2015 when he placed fifth at the ASC Championships. Last fall, he placed 11th in the meet, earning second team All-ASC recognition. Nourani has a top 8K time this fall of 28:04, placing 15th at the ETBU Invitational.

Seniors Anthony McNair and David Merz, sophomores John Gabriel and Blake Stround, and freshmen Adriel Aparicio, Christian Kondor and Jorgediego Rivera Moyet have competed in all five meets for the Comets this fall.

Prior to last fall's runner up finish, the Comet had two third-place finishes at the championship meet over the previous three seasons.