Kigen Claims South Central Regional Crown

Saturday, November 13

Waco, Texas

All Day

TCU

NCAA South Central Regional

Kigen Claims South Central Regional Crown

11/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | General

Nov. 13, 2010
MEN'S RESULTS | WOMEN'S RESULTS

WACO, Texas - TCU senior Festus Kigen captured the South Central Regional title Saturday at the Cottonwood Creek Golf Course in Waco, earning an automatic bid for the 2010 NCAA Cross Country Championships.

The Eldoret, Kenya, native spent most of the men's 10k race in the lead pack, but didn't break away and become the front man until the final 150 meters. Kigen is the first male in TCU history to win a regional title and the third Frog overall, joining Mary Kinyanjui and Glady's Keitany

The finish was the third top-10 finish for Kigen in his four-year career at TCU, punching his ticket for his third and final appearance at the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Ind. It was the highest finish for Kigen since earning runner-up honors at the 2008 MWC Championships and his first win since 2007 at the North Texas Invitational.

"I'm extremely proud of the way Festus ran today," TCU distance coach Shawn Winget said. "He ran a nice even race, keeping his body in control. He was very relaxed and very smooth. He just waited for his time and picked the right spot to pass three runners from Arkansas at the end of the race."

On the women's side, sophomores Agnes Kemboi and Tricia Terry each earned new personal-best times. Kemboi, a product of Eldoret, Kenya, clocked in at 21:20.6 to finish in 25th place, while Terry, a McAllen, Texas native, crossed the finish line at 21:44.3 for the 48th slot.

"On the women's side, I think we earned a lot of good experiences for this young team," said Winget. "Our kids should be able to use days like this as a building block for the future."

Overall, the TCU men, who were ranked No. 13 in the region coming into this weekend, finished in 11th-place with 295 points. Arkansas claimed the team-title on Saturday with 30 points. On the women's side, TCU placed 13th out of 18 teams, while Texas earned the team-title with 46 points.