1. Stephen F Austin (1st 2003)

Stephen F Austin had a great team last year. They were only 4 points away from placing 2nd in the South Central Region which would have gotten them a ticket to the NCAA's. They lose 3 of their top guns to graduation. They have a very deep team. They won't be as good as last year but they have enough talent to repeat as Southland Conference Champions. 

  • Lost- Michael Thompson, Nathan Flores. Justin Meier
  • Return- Julian Acuna Jr, Marc Farris Jr, Rodney Joseph So, Cody Clark So.
  • People to Watch- Clifton Tierney, Cole Hollingsworth, Eric Brill, Chance Edwards, Matt Albertson

2. Sam Houston State (2nd 2003)

Sam Houston lose three great runners. They do bring back 4 of their runners. They will definitely compete for the Southland Conference title in 2004. They bring two good prep runners who really should add to their team. Dustin has a 9:27 3200 personal best and Reese is 2A State 800/1600 winner. (1:55/4:26). They also have transfer Josh Hawkins.

  • Lost- Raul Villarreal, Joe Amburn, Isai Llanes
  • Return- Jose Umanzor Jr, Brandon Mosely Jr, Jose Rodriguez So, Frankie Flores Jr.
  • People to Watch- Matt Buehner, Dustin Joubert, Reese Morton, Josh Hawkins

3. Texas State (8th 2003)

2003 marked the end of one of the best runners in Texas State history. Former prep standout Randy Arias graduated. This team had a disappointing 8th place finish at the Southland Conference Meet. They bring back 2 runners who competed in the conference race last year. James Ortiz is coming off his best track season to date. They have great transfers that will step in and help the team immediately. The 2004 version of the Bobcats will be better than 2003. 

  • Lost- Randy Arias, Nathan Ehlinger, Robert Tyler, Armando Flores
  • Return- James Ortiz Jr, Daniel Markowski Sr
  • People to Watch- Sam Bernal, Josue Cervantes, Paulo Sosa, Matt Renner, Jacob Wells,

4. University of Texas-San Antonio (7th 2003)

The roadrunners lose their #1 guy in Maruping from a 7th place team in 2003. They bring back a young squad this year with no seniors. They bring in the best recruiting class in the conference. Jaziel has run 9:29 , Nick has 9:26 and Michael Schwartz who ran very well for Keller in Cross Country. They should make an immediate impact on the Southland Conference. 

  • Lost- Henry Maruping, David Martinez, Jason Bruan
  • Return- Ryan Allen So, Adrian Vargas So, David Stonestreet Jr, Adam Cowdin So
  • People to Watch- Jaziel Crisostomo, Nick Perez, Michael Schwartz, Brain Weirich, Eric Miller

5. McNeese State (3rd 2003)

McNesse State lose their number 1 and 5. They return the bulk of their team that placed 3rd in 2003. McNeese roster is full of foreign athletes and with the departure of Kris that leaves some money open for more depth on the team. 

  • Lost- Kris Gilmore, James Bailey, 
  • Return- Alan Foolkes Jr, Nick Kay Jr, Robert Goodwin So, Phillip Winfield So, 
  • People to Watch- ?

6. University of Texas-Arlington (5th 2003)

UTA loses 3 of their top 7 from a 5th place in 2003. They do bring in a good recruiting class that should add depth and quality to the existing team. All five recruits have the ability to make the top 7 for the Mavericks. That brings up the problem with experience. This team is fairly young and are probably a year away from challenging the top of the conference honors. They are going in the right direction.

  • Lost- Erik Petersson, Stefan Johansson, Tagi Davis
  • Return- Jacob Cedertun Jr. Daniel Noah Jr, Josh Smith So, Demery Cox So
  • People to Watch- Hunter Garner, Jody Hickley, Patrick Linne, Sean Cross, Chris Miller

7. Lamar (6th 2003)

Lamar brings back everyone from 2003. They are still young with no seniors. I only know of 1 recruit they are bringing in  2004. They are better than last years squad with one more year of experience under their belt. 

  • Lost- None
  • Return- Jake Champagne Jr, Travis Tolbert Jr, Hamish Meachum So, Justin Smith So, Ben McBride So, Brock Babin So
  • People to Watch- Emmanual Valladares

8. University of Monroe-Louisiana (4th 2003)

ULM loses their top mid-distance runners but return some good runners.  Clint Breland is the only distance recruit for the Indians who was an All-State runner for Louisiana with a 4:35 mile and 9:50 for 3200.  With the young Maya Aden leading the team this year hopefully will have the experience to guide the Indians to a similar placing as last year.

·        Lost- Chris Verheul, Benji Jones

·        Return- Maya Aden So, Matt Brophy So, John Carle, Danny Webster Sr

·        People to Watch- Clint Breland

9. Southeastern Louisiana University (10th 2003)

SLU loses no runners from last years team and will be led by All-SLC senior Asbel Ngetich.  They should fair better than last years finish, Joey Valure should play a huge role after a very impressive track season.

·        Lost- None

·        Return- Asbel Ngetich Sr, Joey Valure Jr, Alex Aschenbrenner So

·        People to Watch- Kurt Scoby, Josh Chapman, Jacob Chapman

10. Northwestern State University (9th 2003)

The Demons lose their two big runners, which is a big hit against NSU, but losing two foreign athletes also means and opening in the budget.

·        Lost- Noah Murgor, Jonah Chelimo

·        Return- Chris Groome

·        People to Watch- ?

11. Nichols State (11th 2003)