Distance runners ready for Chile Pepper Festival
10/14/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 14, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU cross country program will close regular season competition this Saturday at the Chile Pepper Festival in Fayetteville, Ark. Start time for the men's 10K is set for 9:45 a.m, while the women's 6K will take place at 10:30 a.m. at the University of Arkansas cross country course.
The festival, which brings in over 4,000 runners from around the country, features an amateur, collegiate, high school and junior high division. Collegiate teams competing this weekend include Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, LSU, Nebraska, Oklahoma, SMU, Texas A&M, Texas, Texas Tech and several others.
"We are looking to take some big steps forward in preparation for the MWC in two weeks. We have had some solid training and are making progress, we just need to transfer that into the race," said distance coach Shawn Winget.
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this week's meet in Fayetteville can follow the meet by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. Results will be posted following the men and women's races. Live results will also be available following each race.
Frogs Entering This Weekend
Midway through the 2008 season, sophomore Tanja Ivandic has led the TCU women, finishing ahead of the pack in every meet this fall. Behind the sophomore, TCU has had several standouts this fall pace the TCU lineup as Dani Selner, Ashley Millerick and Kelly Dawson have all finished behind Ivandic during the first three races.
On the men's side, Festus Kigen and Jacob Womeldorf have led the TCU attack, while Jeff Pels and Louis Tijerina have followed in second and third-place, respectively, in the first three meets this season.
Women Continue To Move Forward
The TCU women's cross country team enters this weekend ranked in the top-15 of the South Central Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The TCU women are currently ranked No. 10 in the South Central Region. Overall, the Purple and White have been ranked No. 10 overall in the region for two-straight weeks.
Kigen Continues To Pave The Way
Following the Cowboy Jamboree, junior Festus Kigen was honored as the Mountain West Conference Male Athlete of the Week. Kigen paced the Horned Frogs at the 72nd Annual Cowboy Jamboree held in Stillwater, Okla. He clocked a personal-best 8K time of 24:18 to cross the finish line in sixth-place in front of a field that included the likes of No. 2 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Northern Arizona and Indiana.
Kigen, who picked up his first Athlete of the Week honor in 2008, has now been honored by the conference for the third-consecutive season.
Last Time Out
Competing in its most competitive field this season, the TCU men and women's cross country teams finished 19th and 12th overall, respectively, at the 72nd annual Cowboy Jamboree held at the Oklahoma State Cross Country Course.
Overall, the TCU men finished the meet with 430 points. The Purple and White finished ahead of Kansas State, Saint Louis and UMKC in the final team-standings. Host school and No. 2 ranked Oklahoma State won the men's title with 38 points.
The women finished the meet with 355 points ahead of 13 other teams, including Texas Tech and regionally ranked UT-Arlington and Texas State. No. 24 Northern Arizona captured the event-title with 61 points.
Stillwater Brings Out The Best
During its last outing, TCU had several runners post seasonal or personal best marks. Leading the way for the Frogs was junior Festus Kigen who clocked a seasonal and personal-best time of 24:18 to cross the finish-line in sixth-place.
On the women's side, Tanja Ivandic led the Horned Frogs with a seasonal-best time of 22:17, while freshman Kelly Dawson, a Keller native, clocked a personal-best time of 23:35 in the 6K race.
Chile Pepper Festival History
TCU has had success in past years at the Chile Pepper Festival and will look to continue that tradition this weekend.
Last fall, Festus Kigen posted the Frogs highest finish in the event during this era, topping the Horned Frog lineup with a 10th-place finish. The women's top finisher came in 2002 when TCU great Mary Kinyanjui captured individual runner-up honors, leading the TCU women's cross country program to a seventh place finish among 37 schools competing at the Chile Pepper. A year later, Kinyanjui turned in a fourth place individual finish with a time of 20:37.08.
Last Year In Fayetteville
Festus Kigen placed 10th overall to lead the TCU men's and women's cross country program at the 19th annual Chile Pepper Festival.
Overall, the TCU men placed 22nd out of 32 squads with 557 points, while the women accumulated 692 points to place 26th overall in the final regular season meet of 2007.
Leading the Horned Frogs individually was Kigen, who paced TCU for the fifth-straight meet with a time of 30:14.5 to finish in the top-10 for the second-consecutive meet.
On the women's side, Tanja Ivandic paced a pack of runners, while Dani Selner finished behind Ivandic in Fayetteville.
Mountain West Conference Success Continuing
Entering this weekend, TCU has claimed the top seven times in the Mountain West for the men's 6K. Junior Festus Kigen leads all runners with a time of 18:40:93. In the men's 8K, Kigen has posted the fourth-best mark in the conference.
On the women's side, sophomore Tanja Ivandic leads the conference in the women's 4K with a season-opening time of 14:43.76. Her mark is the fastest time recorded by a Horned Frog since 2006 in the 4K. Right behind the Fort Worth native is senior Ashley Millerick at No. 6 with a time of 15:09.45. In the 6K, Ivandic currently sits in the top-20 at No. 18.
Familiar Faces Continue To Lead The Way
The Purple and White have been led on the women's side by a familiar name during the 2008 season with Tanja Ivandic paving the way for seven-consecutive meets. The sophomore has now led TCU in every meet dating back to Sept. 15, 2007.
On the men's side, Festus Kigen, a Kenya native, has carried the Horned Frog lineup in ever meet he has competed in for an impressive 10-consecutive meets, including the NCAA Championships last fall.
Up Next
TCU will open postseason action on Nov. 1 at the Mountain West Conference Championships in San Diego, Calif.
Players Mentioned
