Preview: Chile Pepper Festival

Friday, September 29

Fayetteville, Ark.

4:30 PM

TCU

Chile Pepper Festival

Preview: Chile Pepper Festival

9/28/2023 10:50:00 AM | Men's Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Live Results Cross Country Progressions

Horned Frogs continue regular season slate in Fayetteville

FORT WORTH – TCU continues its regular season competition at the Chile Pepper Festival on Friday, Sept. 29 in Fayetteville, Ark. The women's 5K begins at 3:15 p.m. and the men's 8: starts at 3:45 p.m.

Meet Information
Friday, Sept. 29 • Fayetteville, Ark.
Women's 5K • 3:15 p.m.
Men's 8K • 3:45 p.m.
Live Results: Here
2023 Progressions

So Far in 2023
TCU has shined on the course this season. Most recently, both teams took fourth at the Texas A&M Invitational.

Kicking off the season, both men's and women's teams won the John McKenzie Invitational, highlighted by Tabitha Kalunde Ngao's first collegiate win. The freshman took first with her time of 17:07.9.

Adding another top 10 finish for the Horned Frogs was London Culbreath. In her TCU cross country debut, she ran a 17:52.4 to place sixth overall. Olivia Andrews (18:20.5) and Mariana Martinez (18:23.7) placed 11th and 12th, respectively. Rounding out the top finishers for TCU was Maria Coral, who came in 14th with her time of 18:28.0.

On the men's side, Graydon Morris was the top finisher for TCU with his seventh-place finish (15:08.7). Freshman CJ Meyer was right behind him, coming in eighth with his time of 15:09.8. Noah Winters (15:15.60) placed 10th overall and Stone Burke (15:42.1) placed 24th for the Frogs. Grant Martinez claimed the Frogs' fifth spot and placed 25th with his time of 15:43.6.

Ngao won her second consecutive race at the Gerald Richey UTA Invitational while the men's team finished first overall. Finishing first among scoring runners and second overall, Graydon Morris continued his strong debut season with his time of 15:05.8. Winters placed third (15:11.20) and Burke rounded out the top 5 by finishing fifth (15:16.0).

Grant Martinez finished 11th overall with his time of 15:31.3 and Meyer was the final scoring Frog with his 15th-place finish (15:40.3).

Ngao earned her second win of the season in as many races with her first-place time of 17:19.9. Culbreath finished second for the Frogs and 10th overall with her time of 17:56.4.

Gabby Martin took 14th (18:30.4) and Peyton McQuillan finished 15th (18:39.1). Mariana Martinez was the fifth Frog finisher with her time of 18:51.8.

Ngao Wins Big 12 Cross Country Runner of the Week
Following her second consecutive individual title, Ngao earned Big 12 Cross Country Women's Runner of the Week honors Sept. 12.

Ngao clinched first at the Gerald Richey UTA Invitational with her winning time of 17:19.9, edging the second-place runner by more than two seconds. She aided TCU to a third-place team finish at the meet as well.

She started the season with a first-place finish and her first collegiate win at the John McKenzie Invitational. The Nairobi, Kenya, native clinched first with her time of 17:07.4 and led the Horned Frogs to a second-place finish.

The freshman is the first TCU runner since Mariah Castillo '19 (Sept. 17, 2019) to garner Big 12 Women's Cross Country Runner of the Week honors.

TCU continues its successful cross country season at the Texas A&M Invitational at 8:00 a.m. Friday, Sept. 15 in College Station, Texas.

Recapping 2022
TCU had stellar performances to kick off the season at the ACU Naimdu Classic. Gracie Morris placed third (13:52.8), Mariana Martinez took fifth (14:36.3) and Jenna Buchanan claimed ninth (14:49.0) to earn the team win for the Frogs.

Both men's and women's teams earned second-place finishes at the UTA Season Opener, with Gracie Morris winning her first collegiate cross country race (17:11.5). Stone Burke (15:29.6) placed sixth and was the top Frog on the men's side.

Gracie Morris was the first NCAA Qualifier for the Frogs since 2016 after she finished second overall at the NCAA South Central meet. She was also the top finisher for the Frogs at the Big 12 Championships.