Cross Country Travels To MWC Championships
10/29/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 29, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU cross country program heads to San Diego, Calif., this weekend for the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships.The meet, which will take place at Mission Bay Park in San Diego, will begin at 10 a.m. PT, while the men's 8K will start at 11 a.m. PT.
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this week's meet in San Diego can follow the meet by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. Results will be posted following the men and women's races.
Frogs Entering This Weekend
With only postseason competition remaining, 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 four regular-season races.
On the men's side, Festus Kigen, Jacob Womeldorf and Jeff Pels have led the TCU attack. Kigen has been the most consistent distance Horned Frog this season, finishing in the top-10 in every race he has ran this fall, while Pels, who has come on as of late, has been the second TCU runner to cross the finish line in two races in 2008.
Women Stay At No. 10
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 three-consecutive weeks.
Selner Stepping Up
Junior Dani Selner enters this weekend having clocked a personal-best time of 22:08.04 at the Chile Pepper Festival two weeks ago. As it turns out, both Tanja Ivandic and Selner posted identical times in Fayetteville, marking the first time this cross country season that someone other then Ivandic has recorded the fastest mark on the women's side.
Kigen Running To Win It All
Junior Festus Kigen is looking to win his first conference championships this weekend in San Diego. Kigen, a Kenya native, finished 15th overall in 2007, clocking a time of 25:30.00, while in 2006 the junior placed 13th overall in the men's 8K.
Mountain West Conference Championship History
The Horned Frogs' top-finish was in 2006 when former TCU great Calandra Stewart earned runner-up honors in Salt Lake finishing the 6K in a time of 21:10.9 9.
On the men's side, Kip Kangogo, who earlier this season was named to the MWC 10th Anniversary Men's Cross Country Team, turned in a third-place showing in 2005 to lead the Horned Frogs.
As a team, the men have never finished higher then sixth-place, while the women posted a fifth-place finish in 2006.
Last Time Out
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Festus Kigen finished 10th overall to lead the TCU men and women's cross country program at the Chile Pepper Festival.
"Overall, I thought we competed well on both sides today," said distance coach Shawn Winget. "I was a lot happier with how we competed. We are taking another step towards being able to compete at conference in a few weeks."
Kigen, a junior from Kenya, crossed the finish line in 10th-place with a seasonal-best time of 29:44.11, while sophomore Jeff Pels placed 122nd overall out of 257 competitors.
Finally, Jacob Womeldorf and Louis Tijerina paced the rest of the Horned Frog lineup in the 10K race finishing 133rd and 160th overall, respectively.
On the women's side, Tanja Ivandic, who led the Purple and White for the eighth-consecutive meet, clocked a seasonal-best time of 22:08.01 to finish in 53rd-place at the University of Arkansas cross country course.
Right behind Ivandic was Dani Selner, a Houston native, who finished 54th overall with a seasonal-best 6K time of 22:08.04. Freshman Kelly Dawson also posted a seasonal and personal-best time of 22:32.78 to finish in 75th-place out of 306 student-athletes.
Overall, TCU finished 16th as a team on the men's side, while the women, who are currently ranked No. 10 in the South Central Region, recorded an 18th-place finish in front of 21 other teams. Texas A&M won the men's title, while the Red Raiders of Texas Tech claimed the women's crown.
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 eight-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 11-consecutive meets, including the NCAA Championships last fall.
Last Year At The MWC Championships
Sophomore Festus Kigen finished 15th overall to lead TCU at the 2007 Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships.
Kigen, an Eldoret, Kenya, native, crossed the finish line in 25:30.00 at the University of New Mexico North Golf Course. Placing 36th overall was senior Matt Manly, who ran 27:29.00.
Leading the way on the TCU women's side was freshman Tanja Ivandic, who ran 23:42.00 in the 6K race. Ivandic, who finished in 33rd place, was followed by Dani Selner, a sophomore from Houston, who ran 23:58.00 to place 38th overall.
As a team, TCU placed sixth overall on the men's side, while the women posted an eighth-place finish in Albuquerque.
Up Next
Members of the TCU cross country program will compete at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships in Waco on Nov. 15.
Players Mentioned
