RICHARDSON, TX (10.26.17) - The UT Dallas women's cross country will battle for a second straight league title Saturday morning as the Comets compete in the 2017 American Southwest Conference Championships, held at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock.

ASC PREVIEW

The Comets claimed their first-ever ASC crown last fall with 42 points with three UTD runners finishing among the top 10, including the top two placers in the six-kilometer race. The Comets return all three runners who placed in the top 10 a year ago in seniors Lindsey Rayborn and Samantha Tschirhart and sophomore Hollee Ratliff.

Rayborn, a native of Pocatello, Idaho, has been the Comets' top finisher in each of their five meets this fall, including a pair of outright victories. She has an ASC season-best 6K time of 22:47 this fall, 12 seconds better than her ASC winning time from last fall. Rayborn won the five-kilometer race at Texas-Tyler on Sept. 16 and the 6K meet at East Texas Baptist on Oct. 7. A two-time ASC Runner of the Week this season, Rayborn placed second at the ASC Championships as a freshman and seventh as a sophomore as she will look to become UTD's first-ever four-time first team All-ASC honoree.

A native of Amarillo, Ratliff has been the Comets' second-place finisher behind Rayborn three times this fall after placing second at last year's ASC Championships. She has a season-best 6K time of 24:10 when she placed fifth at the ETBU Invitational on Oct. 7. Last fall, she ran a 23:00 in the ASC meet.

Tschirhart, a native of Castroville, has been UTD's second-best finisher twice and third runner in the remaining three meets as she will look to join Rayborn as a four-time All-ASC performer. Tshicrhart placed 11th at the ASC meet as a freshman, fourth as a sophomore and ninth last fall. She was a first team All-ASC honoree each of her first two seasons and earned second team honors as a junior.  Her top 6K this season came on Oct. 7 as ETBU as well, placing 14th in a time of 25:15.

Junior Megan Lutchman and freshman Katherine Merola were the only other Comets to compete in all five meets this fall while sophomores Gina Fossati and Rebekah Rodriguez along with freshman Anna Schaeffer each rank in four meets. Junior Lilian Hannigan ran in the Comets' first three meets of the season.

Prior to last fall's title, the Comets had placed second the previous two seasons.

The 2017 ASC Women's Championships will start at 9 a.m., following the men's event.