TCU
UTA Invitational
TCU men take first, women grab second at UTA Invitational
9/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 10, 2005
ARLINGTON, Texas - The TCU men's and women's cross country teams had impressive performances at the UTA Invitational on Saturday morning at Vandergriff Park. The men brought home the team title thanks to first-, second- and fourth-place individual finishes, while the women's team rode second- and fourth-place efforts to a runner-up landing in the team standings.
TCU's men claimed the five-team meet with 31 total points. North Texas was second at 49, followed by Texas-Arlington (58), Texas A&M-Commerce (90) and Northwood College (145). SMU won the women's division with 27 total points. TCU (49) was second, followed by UTA (74), North Texas (100) and Texas A&M-Commerce (172).
"I felt like it was an outstanding performance for the men," Cunniff said. "I was happy with the way the guys ran, especially the way they finished the second of the two loops. But this is just a step along the way. We have to continue to work to get stronger."
Senior standout Kip Kangogo was dominant, winning the 4-mile race with an unofficial time of 19:22. He was one minute, 17 seconds faster than fellow Horned Frog senior Jackson Langat, who was the event's runner up. Sophomore Matt Manly came in fourth with a time of 20:51.
"I'm happy," Kangogo said. "For me, it was about running an even pace, getting into a rhythm, being focused and staying in control. The whole team ran a strong race. Everyone rose to the occasion and did their best."
Sophomore J.T. Reinert finished ninth, posting a time of 21:26, while classmates Houston Bolin (21:54), Steven Solazzo (22:01) and Brett McKnight (22:05) also placed among the top 20. Cody Cook (22:21) and Ben Rogahn (22:35) also competed for the Horned Frogs. Except for Kangogo and Langat, all of TCU's competitors are sophomores or freshmen.
In the women's 2-mile competition, sophomore Calandra Stewart placed second to lead the Horned Frogs. Her circuit time of 11:12 was 10 seconds faster than teammate Halie Bullin, who grabbed fourth place. Ashley Young (11:46) and McKale Davis (11:52) also broke the 12-minute mark to finish among the top 12.
Freshman Alyson Trovato posted a time of 12:10, which bested her personal record on the course by 13 seconds. She outpaced senior teammate Katrina Zielinski by 20 seconds. Freshmen Amanda Foust and Shannon Andrew came in with times of 13:17 and 13:28, respectively.
"I was pleased with our effort," Cunniff said. "I think that the team showed the effects of the heavy training load, but really pushed on. I was really happy with how Calandra and Halie competed. The challenge for our women is to get the rest of the group to move forward."
TCU is next in action at the North Texas Invitational on Oct. 1.
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