Lone Star Conference Championship

Kingsville, TX Oct. 25th 2008

The trip was long to say the least for the men who drove down to San Antonio on thursday and headed into kingsville on friday. The women flew out early friday morning and arrived about the same time as the men. We ate many different places (chili's, china bear, golden corral, kingsville caf, t-bell on the way back).

Saturday morning was pretty warm and the course was flat, but the footing wasn't the best I've seen. Either way both teams raced well. The women came away with a 2nd place team finish and finished three in the top 20.

8 of the 10 runners on the men's team set personal best's in the race, but finished 8th overall as a team. The Lone Star Conference is loaded with talented teams. Four of the top men's teams averaged under 5:12 per mile throughout the race. This race was a great measuring stick to see where we need to be in order to be successful in the future.

Jeniffer Cherono (junior, Iten, Kenya), was the top Lady Buff finisher, placing third over the 6k course with a time of 22:21. Following Cherono for the Lady Buffs were Kristie Hartsfield (junior, Perryton, Texas), 11th with a time of 23:50, followed by Belinda Castanon (senior, El Paso, Texas), 18th, 24:16, Allie Reyna (freshman, Ralls, Texas), 24th with a time of 24:47, and Becca Rapstine (sophomore, White Deer, Texas), 28th with a 25:13. Also running but not scoring was Tara Shields (freshman, Spearman, Texas), who placed 51st with a time of 27:06.

Leading the Buffs' efforts on the 7,700 meter course was Jose Velazquez (senior, Hereford, Texas), who finished 28th with a time of 25:55. He was followed by Thomas Harris (sophomore, Amarillo, Texas), 36th with a time of 26:32, Andrew Striley (freshman, Amarillo, Texas), 41st with a 26:45, Jarret Kachel (junior, Hooker, Okla.), 50th with a 27:36 and Isai Saucedo (soph., Bovina, Texas), 51st with a time of 27:39. Also competing but not scoring were Erik Huerta (soph., Hereford, Texas), 56th, 28:15, Matt Kopansky (freshman, Toronto, Ontario), 62nd, 28:43, Jesse Maldonado (fresh., Hereford, Texas), 65th, 29:07, Jarred Murray (freshman, Odessa, Texas), 66th, 29:07 and Luis Flores (soph., Booker, Texas), 67th with a time of 29:48.

Pics from Texas Tech Invite 08

Better late than never...

Flotrack videos of OSU Jamboree

Here are the videos of both the men and women's college races in Stillwater:

Women's 5k

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Men's 8k

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Women Take 1st at ASU Meet, Men Finish 6th

The men and women of West Texas A&M continue their run to the conference championship with a tune up at the ASU Blue & Gold Classic. The women's team won with Jeniffer Cherono (19:04) winning easily and Kristie Hartsfield (20:35) finishing in the top ten.

The rest of the team had solid finishes:

11. Belinda Castanon (20:50)
15. Becca Rapstine (21:24)
25. Tara Shields (23:28)

The men's team continues to improve with returners bettering their times by 30 seconds to 1 minute from last year. Pijo (Jose Velazquez) led the way for the Buffs by running the 5 mile course in time of 27:31 and a 13th place finish.

Buff Finishers:
13. Jose Velazquez (27:31)
20. Thomas Harris (28:00)
42. Isai Saucedo (29:19)
50. Jarret Kachel (29:52)
52. Matt Kopansky (29:58)
56. Erik Huerta (30:15)
60. Jarred Murray (30:43)
63. Jesse Maldonado (31:11)
65. Luis Flores (31:49)

Men Improve and Place 10th of 27 teams at Jamboree

The training for the men is really starting to payoff as the returners from last year improved anywhere from 35 seconds to 1:30 from last years competition at the Jamboree. The men competed well and some of the freshmen came out and ran well for their first time over the 8k distance. Jose Velazquez finished 25th in a time of 27:04. Thomas Harris (27:49), Andrew Striley (28:22), Isai Saucedo (28:35) and Jarret Kachel (28:53) rounded out WT's top five and led the team to a 10th place finish. The Buffs will be headed to Angelo State on Oct. 14th to run as a tune up for the Lone Star Conference Championship that will follow.

Cherono Wins! Lady Buffs Take 9th at OSU Jamboree

Photo by: Mika Matzen- Amarillo Globe News

On a perfect October morning in Stillwater, OK, the Lady Buffs toed the starting line against a very solid field. Facing one of the most challenging courses in the nation, everyone knew they had to run smart in order to move up throughout the race. Jeniffer knew she had a chance to win in the College Division, but also knew there would be challengers. We talked about her going out aggressive and pushing the pace early. We have yet to do speed work, but know she is strong aerobically which is why we decided to get out and set a solid pace. I didn't get her exact split, but I believe she was just over 11:30 at the 2 mile mark. Butler's Patrober Murindat and Oklahoma Christian's Sylvia Chirchir were in pursuit for the majority of the race and even caught Jeniffer with around 1000 meters to go. Jeniffer's fast early pace took the kick out of the others' legs and she sprinted across the line with the victory in a time of 18:31 and a 1 minute improvement over last years time on this course.

Lady Buffs Kristie Hartsfield (19:41) and Belinda Castanon (20:37) also had strong days finishing 17th and 56th respectively. The Lady Buffs will be running again at Angelo State on Oct. 14th before competing in the Lone Star Conference Championship.