Cross Country Set For Bear Twilight Invitational
9/1/2010 12:00:00 AM | General
Sept. 1, 2010
FORT WORTH, Texas - For the third time in four years, the TCU cross country program will open its season at the Bear Twilight Invitational in Waco.
The meet, which will take place at the Baylor Intramural Fields on Friday, will begin at 6:30 p.m. with the women's 4K, while the men's 6K will follow directly after in Waco.
"This week gives us a chance to run against some other teams," said distance coach Shawn Winget. "We want to leave Waco better than when we got there. We will train right through the meet, but I want to see them compete."
After two weeks of preparation, the Horned Frogs will compete against the likes of Baylor, North Texas, No. 22 SMU and several others.
Overall, Winget returns plenty of talent in 2010, including six on the women's side and eight from last fall on the men's side. TCU will also bolster its men's lineup this fall with the return of senior Festus Kigen, who sat out the 2009 cross country season. Kigen, who was an All-American during the 2010 indoor season, will look to qualify for his third-straight NCAA meet in 2010.
Follow The Horned Frogs
Fans not able to attend this Friday's meet in Waco can follow it by logging onto www.gofrogs.com. Results and a full recap will be posted following the conclusion of the men's race.
Women's Breakdown
TCU returns almost its entire roster on the women's side in 2010, including sophomore's Tricia Terry and Agnes Kemboi.
Terry opened the 2009 cross country season placing third and seventh overall, respectively. Following her seventh-place showing at the Ken Garland Invitational, Terry was then sidelined with an injury, which caused her to miss the remainder of the cross country season.
Kemboi, who led TCU in every meet she competed at in 2009, crossed the finish line in 16th-place at the MWC Championships. By placing in the top 20, the Kenya native earned the highest finish on the women's side since 2006 at the conference championships.
Also back for the Purple and White are junior Kelly Dawson and sophomore Katie Dalton. Both will play key roles in the Frogs' success this fall. Dawson finished third amongst TCU runners in two different meets last fall, while Dalton placed within the the top 15 at two different meets during the 2009 cross country season.
Senior Tanja Ivandic also returns in 2010 and will look to improve upon a solid 2009 campaign.
Winget will welcome two very impressive newcomers into the mix this fall. Amanda Throckmorton and Paige Throckmorton will play huge roles in how the Horned Frogs fare this season both in conference and regionally after very successful high school careers at Albuquerque Academy in Albuquerque, N.M.
Men's Breakdown
The TCU men's cross country program will lean on senior's Festus Kigen and Jeff Pels often this season, but also return plenty of talent to make a serious run in the Mountain West Conference in 2010.
Kigen, who earned runner-up accolades at the 2008 Mountain West Conference Cross Country Championships, had a stellar 2010 track and field season. Overall, the Kenya native, who qualified for two-straight NCAA Cross Country Championships before sitting out last fall, will look to become only the second TCU male student-athlete ever to win a conference cross country crown this season.
Pels, who claimed all-conference accolades as a member of the men's distance medley relay that finished second overall at the 2010 Mountain West Conference Indoor Championships, should play a big role in TCU's team success this fall after placing eighth overall at the Ken Garland Invitational last season.
Look for junior Louis Tijerina to once again be a key factor for the Purple and White this fall. Tijerina had a breakout 2009 season as he posted the second-fastest 10K time in the MWC heading into regional action. He finished first amongst TCU runners at the Ken Garland Invitational, MWC Championships, Cowboy Jamboree and Chile Pepper Festival in 2009.
Newcomer's Alex De La Garza and Jake Rossmango should also play a big role in TCU's success in 2010. De La Garza, a transfer from Lamar, comes to TCU after leading the Cardinals to a Southland Conference Championship as a freshman. The Mercedes native was a Nike National qualifier in cross country during his senior season at Mercedes High School. Rossmango will don the Purple and White after earning five letters between cross country and track and field at Syracuse High School in Utah.
Also back on the men's side are Holden Hollingsworth, Tim Wang, Ryan Dalrymple and Douglas Moore. Hollingsworth, Wang and Dalrymple are poised for a breakout fall season, while Moore will look to improve upon a solid first year in the program.
Frogs Ranked In South Central
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 TCU men open the season at No. 11 in the South Central Region.
An In-Depth Look At Kigen
During the 2010 indoor season, Festus Kigen cruised to a sixth-place finish in the men's 5,000 meters at the NCAA Indoor Championships, crossing the finish line with a personal-best and new school record time of 13:50.21. By placing sixth overall, Kigen became the first Horned Frog in TCU history to earn All-American accolades in the men's 5,000 meters. Kigen also claimed first-place honors in the men's 5,000 meters at the conference indoor championships with a time of 13:51.72. His time, which broke the previous meet record, was also an Albuquerque Convention Center record.
Kigen qualified for the 2010 NCAA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Ore., in the men's 5,000 meters, clocking a time of 14:10.23 to finish 12th overall in a highly competitive field that featured six of the nation's top 20, including four of the NCAA's top 5 at the NCAA West Preliminary Round. Kigen also posted a seasonal-best time of 13:52.06 in the 5,000 meters this past spring, which is the second-fastest time ever posted in program history, at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Academic Success For The Horned Frogs
During the month of July, the TCU women's track and field team was recognized as a U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Division I All-Academic Track and Field team for a second-consecutive year.
On the men's side, the TCU cross country program once again earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award. The award is given each year to teams scoring in the top 10 percent in each sport with their Academic Progress Rates.
Up Next
TCU will next be in action at the UTA Invitational on Saturday, Sept. 11.
Players Mentioned
