Horned Frogs Travel To Waco For Regional Action
11/13/2008 12:00:00 AM | General
Nov. 13, 2008
FORT WORTH, Texas - The 2008 cross country program will continue postseason competition this Saturday at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships in Waco.The meet will take place at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course with women's action beginning at 10 a.m., while the men will follow at 10:45 a.m.
"On the men's side, we fully expect Festus Kigen to qualify for nationals and finish in the top-5. He is running really well right now and should have a good weekend," said distance coach Shawn Winget. "With the women, we just need to regroup from the conference meet and get after it. That's really the biggest thing with the women right now."
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this Saturday's regional meet in Waco can follow the race by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. Results and a full recap will be posted following the men and women's races. Live results will also be available by clicking on the live results link on the sidebar of the 2008 cross country schedule.
NCAA In Sight
The top two teams and four individuals from each of the nine regional championships automatically will qualify for the NCAA Championships, while 13 at-large teams will be added to the national championship field by the NCAA Division I Track and Field Committee on Sunday. In addition, two at-large individuals that are not on an automatic qualifying team will receive automatic bids to the NCAA Championships.
The 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships, which are hosted by Indiana State University, are scheduled for Monday, Nov. 24, in Terre Haute, Ind.
South Central Information
Four ranked teams comprise the women's field in Waco, including the likes of No. 12 Arkansas, No. 18 Baylor, No. 19 SMU and No. 22 Rice.
On the men's side, No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 24 Arkansas are the lone nationally ranked squads to grace the field of 21. Texas, who was previously ranked in the top-30, sits just outside the rankings following a sixth-place showing at the Big 12 Championships.
Last Year's Regional Breakdown
Festus Kigen finished 10th overall last fall at the South Central Regional to qualify for the 2007 NCAA Championships.
Kigen, a sophomore from Kenya, crossed the finish line in 30:04.3 to punch his ticket to the NCAA's, while senior Matt Manly clocked a time of 32:38.6 to finish 64th out of 105 competitors.
Individually, Shadrack Songok of Texas A&M CC won the regional 10K event with a time of 29:16.3, while Francis Kasagule of Lamar finished as the runner-up with a time of 29:23.4.
Overall, Arkansas won the team-title with a score of 37 points. Finally, Texas and Texas A&M posted second and third-place finishes at Agri Park.
TCU History At NCAA Regional
TCU has had a prestigious history of doing well in regional competition. Overall, TCU has sent at least one individual to the NCAA Championships three of the last four years.
In 2003, Mary Kinyanjui and Ami Butler finished first and third at the meet to lead the TCU women to a fourth place finish in the team standings.
Kinyanjui came back a year later to defend her title in Waco, crossing the finishing line with a personal best 6K time of 20:09. The Horned Frogs again posted a fourth-place finish as a squad.
On the men's side, former TCU great Kip Kangogo paced the Horned Frogs in 2005 to a seventh-place finish in Waco. Overall, Kangogo covered the course in 30:34.60 to finish in fourth-place.
Kigen's Stepping Up In Style
Junior Festus Kigen has established himself as a dominate force this season, earning runner-up honors at the 2008 Mountain West Conference Championships. The Kenya native crossed the finish line in 24:25 at Mission Bay Park to earn the highest-finish ever for a Horned Frog on the men's side in MWC history.
Women In Rankings
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. 11 in the South Central Region. Overall, the Purple and White have been ranked in the region for four-consecutive weeks.
Last Time Out
Junior Festus Kigen earned runner-up honors on Nov. 1 to lead TCU at the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships.
Kigen, an Eldoret, Kenya, native, recorded a time of 24:25 in San Diego. Wyoming's Mark Korir clipped the first-team all-conference selection at the line by clocking a time of 24:22 to win the championship.
"It went really well today and I really liked the fact that it was a flat course," said Kigen. "It was a little humid, but I think I did a lot better then last year. Overall, I am really happy about it."
On the women's side, sophomore Tanja Ivandic paced the TCU lineup, finishing 23rd overall with a time of 22:38. Freshman Kelly Dawson followed Ivandic in 38th-place, while Lisa Baity turned in a 43rd-place finish. Finally, Dani Selner placed 45th out of 74 competitors.
Overall, the TCU women finished in eighth-place as a team with 195 points, while the Horned Frog men closed out competition in sixth-place with 156 points. New Mexico won the conference title on the women's side, while BYU claimed the men's crown.
What's Up Next
Depending on the outcome of this weekend, TCU could compete at the 2008 NCAA Cross Country Championships in Terre Haute, Ind.
Players Mentioned
