Frogs Travel To MWC Cross Country Championships
10/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 28, 2009
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU cross country program heads to Orem, Utah, this weekend for the 2009 Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships.
The meet, which will take place at the Cascade Golf Course on Saturday, will begin with the men's 8K at 11 a.m. CT, while the women's 6K will follow at Noon.
"We really want to finish in the top 5," said distance coach Shawn Winget. "We have made some big improvements the last couple of meets, so we will see what we are able to do this weekend."
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this week's meet in Utah can follow the meet by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. Results and a full recap will be posted on www.gofrogs.com following the women's race.
Mountain West Conference Championship History
The Horned Frogs' top-finisher on the women's side was in 2006 when former TCU great Calandra Stewart earned runner-up honors in Salt Lake finishing the 6K in a time of 21:10.99.
On the men's side, Festus Kigen, who is redshirting this fall, posted runner-up honors in 2009 at the MWC Conference Championships in San Diego. Kigen, an Eldoret, Kenya, native, crossed the finish line in 24:25 at Mission Bay Park to earn the highest-finish for a Horned Frog on the men's side in MWC history.
In 2005, Kip Kangogo, who last fall was named to the MWC 10th Anniversary Men's Cross Country Team, turned in a third-place showing 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.
TCU Entering The Mountain West Conference
Entering this weekend, the TCU women have been paced by newcomers Tricia Terry and Agnes Kemboi. Behind Terry and Kemboi, fellow freshman Katie Dalton has finished second amongst Frog runners during the four meets.
On the men's side, Louis Tijerina and Jeff Pels have led the TCU attack, while freshmen Douglas Moore and Dave Emerson have followed in third and fourth-place, respectively, in the last couple of outings.
Women Continue In Regional Rankings
The TCU women's cross country team enters postseason competition ranked in the top 15 of the South Central Region by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
The TCU women remain ranked No. 10 in the South Central Region. Overall, the Purple and White have been ranked in the regional top 10 for four-straight weeks.
TCU Entering The MWC Championships
Entering postseason, the TCU women have been paced by newcomers Tricia Terry and Agnes Kemboi. Behind Terry and Kemboi, fellow freshman Katie Dalton has finished second amongst Frog runners during the past two meets.
On the men's side, Louis Tijerina and Jeff Pels have led the TCU attack, while freshmen Douglas Moore and Dave Emerson have followed in either third or fourth-place, respectively, in the last two outings.
Kemboi Making Mark On Women's Side
Agnes Kemboi, a Kenya native, has made a name for herself in her two outings this season, placing first overall amongst Horned Frog runners at the Cowboy Jamboree and Chile Pepper Festival, respectively.
In the women's 6K, Kemboi has clocked a personal-best time of 22:21.55 to place 48th overall at the Chile Pepper Festival. The freshman currently ranks No. 20 overall in the Mountain West Conference in the women's 6K.
Tijerina Stepping Up
Sophomore Louis Tijerina has led the TCU distance runners in three out of the four meets this fall on the men's side. Tijerina, who has placed in the top 5 twice this fall, currently ranks No. 2 overall in the Mountain West Conference in the men's 10K.
Last Year At The Mountain West Conference
Junior Festus Kigen earned runner-up honors in 2008 to lead TCU at the Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships. Kigen, an Eldoret, Kenya, native, crossed the finish line in 24:25 at Mission Bay Park to earn the highest-finish for a Horned Frog on the men's side in MWC history. 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.
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 on Saturday.
Last Time Out
The TCU women's cross country team finished 12th overall out of 34 teams at the 21st running of the Chile Pepper Festival. Overall, the women's team totaled 388 points to finish ahead of LSU, McNeese State, Mississippi State, Utah, Wyoming and several others. On the men's side, the Frogs posted 709 points for a 26th-place showing.
Freshman Agnes Kemboi had a solid day at the Arkansas Cross Country Course, clocking a personal and seasonal-best time of 22:21.55 to finish 48th overall. Sophomore Louis Tijerina, who placed 134th in the men's 10K out of 243 runners, led the men's team. Festus Kigen, who is redshirting this fall and ran unattached in Fayetteville, placed ninth overall with a time of 29:55.76.
Up Next
Members of the TCU cross country program will compete at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships in Waco on Nov. 14.
Players Mentioned
