Three in a Row: For the third straight meet, Hawaii's Cheryl Smith has paced the competition, clinching the individual title. At the Cross Country Only Nationals, Smith held a 53-second advantage over the closest runner, covering the 6K course in 21:42, a season-best mark at that distance. She continues to be the only UH runner in history to win three different Division 1 meets in the same season. Her performances have propelled UH to finish second three times this fall.
Title Sweep: TCU's Gladys Keitany claimed yet another individual title this fall. Finishing the 5K race in 17:16, she captured the individual title at the 63rd Annual Oklahoma State Jamboree on Sept. 30. Her speed has paced TCU to team titles in every meet run. The two-time all-WAC honoree and former conference Newcomer of the Year posted a conference best in the 5K with her winning time at OSU.
Consistently Strong: Hawaii and San Jose State had strong team showings at the Second Annual Cross Country Only National Championships finishing second and third, respectively. Four of the top five finshers were Wahines and Spartans. UH's Cheryl Smith paced the pack, followed by Spartan Ana Martinez. Wahine Casey McGuire-Turcotte was third, 12 seconds in front of Spartan Janina Crain, who was fifth.
Looking to Repeat: Both Fresno State's men's and women's teams found success at last year's San Francisco State Invitational. The defending championships look to repeat as they head to the Bay Area on Oct. 7. The women received a boost from then-sophomore Jen Smiths sixth-place effort in the 2.5 mile race, while then-freshman Roberto Vaca crossed seventh for the men. This year, both squads are in search of a team title. Both had season-best showings at the Cal State Stanislaus Invitational earlier this season, where the men took second and the women finished third.
Tough Competition: Considered to be one of the longest-running cross country meets in the nation, 148 runners from 20 schools converged to compete in the Men's Division at the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree on Sept. 30. While TCU, SMU and Tulsa failed to place higher than 13th, TCU's Eluid Njubi and Herbert Mwangi paced their way to the front of the pack, finishing second and fourth, respectively.
In the 13-team Women's Division, TCU's Gladys Keitany distanced herself from the field to finish first, while teammate Robin Schacht crossed third to secure the team victory.
WEEK OF SEPT. 26
Speed Racers: Hawaii's Cheryl Smith not only lead the 88 runners at the Hawaii Invitational and broke the course record, but her 5K time of 17:56 was the fastest time among WAC female runners who competed on Sept. 22 and 23. TCU's front runner Gladys Keitany clocked an 18:03, while UTEP leader Anita Looper ran an 18:16. Robin Schacht of TCU turned in an 18:20 performance.
Three in a Row: UTEP junior Anita Looper has paced the Miners in every meet so far this season. For the week, Looper distanced herself from the 42 competitors at the New Mexico State Kachina Classic by 61 seconds to take first, while her time of 18:16 established a new course record. The Miners earned the team title, after finishing second at the two previous meets this season.
Keeping Pace: Robin Schacht of TCU has kept pace with teammate Gladys Keitany in both meets this season. At the Baylor Invitational on Sept. 23, where the Horned Frogs won the team title for the second straight meet, Schacht was 17 seconds off Keitany's winning pace and 29 seconds ahead of teammate Katie Singleton, who was the next closest competitor. Earlier this month, at the UNT Season Opener, Schacht ran the two-mile course in 11:12 for third place.
Consistently Strong: Rice hasn't had to wait for a runner to finish first this fall. Junior Katie Waite has made sure of that. In both meets this season, Waite has clocked the winning time. At the USTA Invitational on Sept. 22, she paced 44 runners, covering the 5K course in 18:47, to help the Owls earn their second team title of the season. Teammate Shannon Murto, a true freshman, has followed Waite's lead, finishing second in both meets.
Meet Champions: Hawaii and Nevada finished one-two, respectively, behind only San Diego State at the 13-team Hawaii Invitational on Sept. 23. Rice picked up another team championship at the USTA Inviational on Sept. 22. TCU was successful at the Baylor Invitational for its second team victory in as many meets. After two second place team finishes, UTEP earned its first top finish at the Kachina Classic on Sept. 23.
Coaches Comments: "We competed at a high level today," said TCU coach Dan Waters after the Frogs won the Baylor Invitational. "I was very pleased with the effort that we displayed throughout the meet. This was a valuable meet for us because of the solid competition in the meet. Baylor, Texas A&M and Mississippi State are all top-notch teams."
R & R: With six of the seven men's teams resting for upcoming meets, Fresno, San Jose State, SMU, TCU and Tulsa will be back in action on Sept. 30
WEEK OF SEPT. 19
Premier Performance: For the second straight meet, UTEP junior Anita Looper finished second overall, to lead the Miners. At the SMU Invitational on Sept. 16, Looper outdistanced 88 runners, recording the fastest time by a Miner on the SMU 5K course in the past eight years. Five seconds off the winning time, Looper guided UTEP to a 3rd place finish, just 11 points off the winning teams leads.
One-Two Punch: San Jose State's Trevor Marca and Matt Heard continue to pace their teammates this season. Marca has finished in the top 10 in each meet this season, clocking his best time of 20:36 in the four miles on Sept. 2. Tim Surface and Ben Orzoco of Tulsa have been the team's top pair in two of three meets this season. Surface has paced the Hurricane in all races, with three top-six times. The Nevada women's squad has watched Jody Carlsen and Erin Seward cross first and second for the team in both competitions this season, while San Jose State's Ana Martinez and Jenna Crain have provided the team's leadership. SMU has been paced by Adriana Vitkova, who has three straight top-three finishes, and Yolandi Buitendag. Tulsa's Sarah Haskins has three top-five races under her belt, while Camille Herron has been the teams No. 2 runner.
Nationally Ranked: After winning the UNT Season Opener behind standout Gladys Keitnay's first-place run, TCU earned votes in the FinishLynx NCAA Women's Top 25 Poll. The squad is ranked third in the first edition of the weekly South Central Regional Coaches' Poll released on Sept. 18, trailing only Arkansas and Texas A&M, both of whom are ranked nationally. TCU travels to Baylor on Sept. 23.
Consistently Strong: Fresno State junior Jen Smith continues to pound the pavement for the Bulldogs, turning in team-best performances in all three races this season. On the men's side, Josh Roddy's runs have consistently been Fresno State's best.
"Waite"ing Her Turn: Rice junior Katie Waite started the season off on the right foot, taking first in the 2.1 mile Rice Invitational to lead the Owls to an overall victory. She easily outdistanced the 57 runner competition with an 11:51.99 mark, nearly 43 seconds ahead of teammate and true freshman Shannon Murto, who crossed second.
Meet Champions: The Rice Owls picked up a pair of victories at the Rice Invitational, outdistancing the competion to take first out of five and six teams in the women's and men's division, respectively. Host SMU finished first in the men's division at the SMU Invitational, seven points ahead of conference foe UTEP. The Tulsa men's team continued to keep pace, finishing second in a field of 17 to Arkansas, while the women were fourth out of 13 behind meet champion Pittsburgh State, Washington and Harding University.
WEEK OF SEPT. 11
Premier Performance: In her first meet since transfering from SUNY-Cortland, Hawaii junior Cheryl Smith paced the field at the San Francisco Invitational, covering the 6K course in 23:32, 18 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Her performance marked the first time a Wahine has won a major away meet since joining the conference.
Front Runner: Kenya native and TCU junior Elilid Njubi paced the 21 man field at the UNT Season Opener, covering four miles in 19:36, crossing four seconds before teammate Herbert Mwangi.
Leaders of the Pack: The TCU women claimed five of the top eight spots en route to running away with the UNT Season Opener by a 50 point advantage over second-place team UTA. Gladys Keitnay, who paced the pack over the two-mile course, was followed by teammates Robin Schacht (3rd), Kate Singleton (5th), Cindy Dietrich (7th) and Allie Koons (8th).
Consistently Strong: San Jose State's Ana Martinez has challenged for the lead in both meets this season, crossing third. At the San Francisco Invitational on Sept. 9, the junior, clocked at 24:10 effort in the 6K, 1:15 ahead of teammate Janina Crain, who was fourth.
Personal Best Broken: Shaving nearly two minutes off his previous personal best, Fresno sophomore Josh Roddy's time of 24:30 in the 8K was good for second at the Cal State Stanislaus Invitational on Sept. 9.
WAC Schools Host Invitationals: Among other schools, Fresno State hosts conference rivals San Jose State and Nevada at the Fresno State Invitational on Sept. 16, while UTEP will run at SMU's invitational.