SDSU Is Favored in Cross-Country : Aztecs Play Host to WAC Men’s Championships Today

For the first time, not only are the Western Athletic Conference men’s cross-country championships being held in San Diego, but also for the first time, San Diego State is favored to win.

The Aztecs, ranked No. 13 in the country, play host to the title race at 10 a.m. today at Morley Field. The 8-kilometer course (4.95 miles) is the same one used in the annual Kinney National high school cross-country championships.

Wyoming, the defending champion, is ranked No. 16 in the country. The Cowboys are led by junior John Wodney, who won the WAC individual title last year when the race was run in Salt Lake City.

San Diego State, which has never won the WAC title, finished third last year behind Wyoming and Brigham Young.

The Aztecs are led by senior Matt Clayton, who won this year’s Stanford and UC Riverside invitationals. Clayton was the community college state cross-country champion a year ago at San Diego City College.

“Wyoming has pretty much the same runners it had last year, and we’ve added Matt,” said Tom Lux, San Diego State coach. “Our strong point is our top three runners (Clayton, Juan Naranjo and Paul Greer).”

BYU, the conference champion in 1984 and ‘85, also is expected to be among the leaders.

For the first time, the WAC race is not being conducted as part of the NCAA District 7 cross-country meet. Therefore, to qualify for the NCAA championships, teams and individuals still must compete in the District 7 meet, which will be held Nov. 14 in Salt Lake City.