The Mustang cross country team won the NCAA South Central Regional Championship Saturday in Waco, and in doing so moved deeper into the Top 25 teams in the nation.

The win was the team’s fourth first-place finish in just six events this season, as the Mustangs also captured their second consecutive Conference USA Championship on Oct. 31.

In the latest poll by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association released Tuesday, SMU climbed three spots to No. 22.

According to Dave Wollman, director of track & field/cross country, this year’s success has been surprising only because of the overall youth of the team.

Out of the 12 members on the cross country roster, 10 are underclassmen, and three freshmen are part of the Mustangs’ regular five-person race day lineup.

“When you bring in, really, an entirely new group, you never know what you’re going to get,” Wollman said. “But it’s been remarkable how quickly they’ve grown into top Division 1 talent.”

In addition to winning back-to-back conference championships, SMU distance coach Cathy Casey was named C-USA Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Like Wollman, coach Casey has seen a young group of talent begin to gel both on and off the field.

“They’re genuinely friends,” she said. “They enjoy the team, they enjoy running, and that’s what makes them good.”