Horned Frogs Set For 2010 MWC Championships
10/28/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Oct. 28, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas - The TCU cross country program will begin postseason competition this Friday at the 2010 Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships in Laramie, Wyo.
The meet, which will take place at Jacoby Golf Course, will begin at 11 a.m. CT with the women's 6K, while the men's 8K will follow at Noon.
"We are looking to improve upon last year's team finish on the women's side," said distance coach Shawn Winget. "Agnes Kemboi is ready to have a really good meet for us, while Tricia Terry will be competing in her first conference championship, which will be a good test for her. On the men's side, Festus Kigen has been looking very good and our goal for him is to win a conference title Friday, which will be tough because the field is very competitive."
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this Friday's conference meet can follow it by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. Results, photos and a full recap will be posted following the conclusion of the men's race.
Mountain West Conference Championship History
TCU's top-finisher on the women's side was in 2006 when former Horned Frog great Calandra Stewart earned runner-up honors in Salt Lake City finishing the 6K in a time of 21:10.99.
On the men's side, Festus Kigen posted runner-up honors in 2008 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 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.
Duo Could Play Huge Role This Friday
Heading into action Friday, senior Festus Kigen and sophomore Agnes Kemboi should both play a major role in TCU's success in Laramie, Wyo. Both have had success at the conference championships in recent years with Kemboi placing 16th overall last fall, while Kigen turned in a second-place showing at the 2008 Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships.
A Closer Look At The TCU Women Heading Into Friday's Action
Entering Friday, the Horned Frogs have been led this fall by Agnes Kemboi and Tricia Terry. The duo has finished first and second overall amongst TCU runners in three out of the four meets this fall, including their last outing at the Cowboy Jamboree where both placed in the top 20. Overall, Kemboi has crossed the finish line in the top 5 at three different meets this season, while Terry has had an outstanding sophomore campaign, recording three top 20 finishes. As a team, the Horned Frogs have had success during the 2010 season, placing in the top 6 at three different meets, including first overall at the UTA Season Opener.
Breaking Down The Men Heading In Postseason
For the majority of the 2010 cross country season, senior Festus Kigen and sophomore Alex De La Garza have paced the TCU attack, clocking a first and second-place finish amongst Horned Frog runners in their last two outings at the Cowboy Jamboree and Chile Pepper Festival. Overall, De La Garza won the UTA Season Opener and by doing so earned MWC Cross Country Athlete of the Week accolades. Kigen, who has only competed in two meets this fall, has finished in the top 15 at both meets, turning in a time of 29:50.28 in the men's 10K at the Chile Pepper Festival, which currently leads the conference heading into action this Friday. Fellow senior Jeff Pels has also had a solid season this fall, crossing the finish line ranked in the top 12 at two different meets.
Horned Frogs Stay Put In Regional Rankings
After opening the season No. 11, the TCU men'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 men will head to the Mountain West Conference Championships ranked No. 13 in the region.
On the women's side, TCU moved up from No. 9 to No. 8 in the South Central Region. The No. 8 ranking is the highest ranking on the women's side since opening the 2009 season at No. 8 overall.
Both program have now been ranked in the South Central Region for an impressive six-straight weeks.
TCU Prominent On Mountain West Conference Top-Times List
Agnes Kemboi, who sits No. 4 overall in the women's 5K in the Mountain West Conference, currently leads the MWC this fall in the women's 4K after her third-place season opening performance. The Kenya native also heads into postseason action ranked ninth in the women's 6K. Freshman Amanda Throckmorton is currently ranked second overall on the MWC top-times list for the 4K. Tricia Terry also sits within the top 5 in the conference, ranking No. 4 overall.
On the men's side, Festus Kigen currently sits No. 1 in the conference in the men's 10K after turning in a time of 29:50.2 at the Chile Pepper Festival, while Alex De La Garza has posted the fourth-best time in the men's 10K this fall. Senior Jeff Pels heads into this weekend as the No. 2 ranked runner in the men's 6K. He is followed by freshman Jake Rossmango, who sits No. 4 in the MWC.
A Look Back At The 2009 Conference Championships
Agnes Kemboi finished 16th overall to lead TCU at the 2009 Mountain West Conference Championships. Kemboi, a freshman from Kenya, crossed the finish line in 22:25.7 at the Cascade Golf Course to earn the highest finish on the women's side since 2006. BYU's Cecily Lemmon captured the event-title with a time of 20:47.4. Overall, the TCU women, who just missed finishing in the top 6, recorded a seventh-place finish in the team standings with 196 points. The Horned Frog men closed the day in sixth-place with 186 points. New Mexico claimed both the men's and women's championship in 2009.
The Last Time Out
Agnes Kemboi and Festus Kigen both placed in the top 15 to lead TCU at the 22nd running of the historic Chile Pepper Festival. Overall, the TCU men placed 18th with 631 points, while the women finished 12th out of 56 schools with 401 points in the final team standings. Nationally ranked Oklahoma State won both team titles at the Arkansas Cross Country Course.
Kemboi paced the Horned Frog women in the 5K, crossing the finish line in ninth-place with a personal-best time of 17:13.11. The ninth-place showing by Kemboi marked the third time in the last four years the Frogs have placed a student-athlete within the top 10 in Fayetteville. Kemboi's time currently sits No. 4 in the MWC standings heading into postseason competition.
On the men's side, Kigen just missed placing in the top 10, finishing 13th overall in the men's 10K out of 463 competitors with a time of 29:50.28. Sophomore Alex De La Garza led the next group of Horned Frogs, recording a 46th-place finish in Fayetteville.
Up Next
TCU will continue postseason action at the 2010 NCAA South Central Regional in Waco on Saturday, Nov. 13.
Players Mentioned
