By Peyton Low UT Tyler Sports Information September 28, 2006
They wake up every morning before the sun rises, they run eight to ten miles outdoors, they spend hours in training, and they are a highly motivated group of young men, working together as a team, with a common goal.
This conjures up images of the U.S. Army, but it's the men's cross country team at The University of Texas at Tyler that fits this description equally well – and their dedication and sacrifices are paying off in a big way.
The team that has been a relative secret thus far, with their successes only known to the UT Tyler community (and of course their unfortunate opponents), may be loosing their anonymity as they continue to out-perform each week.
This week the team turned heads when the well-respected organization TXRunning.com ranked the Patriots as the fourth best men's cross country team in Texas as part of their 2006 Texas College Top 20. The rankings, which span all NCAA divisions, placed UT Tyler ahead of schools like TCU, Texas State, Stephen F. Austin and others. The only schools ranking above the Patriots were Division I powers UT El Paso, Texas A&M and Sam Houston State.