CU Cross Country begins spring season
ABILENE, Texas (March 28) – The Cameron Cross Country team traveled to Abilene over the weekend to compete in the Oliver Jackson Open, a track and field event hosted by Abilene Christian University. The Aggies sent just three runners to compete in the event, which serves as an exhibition since Cameron does not have a true track and field team. The Aggie Cross Country team competes in the fall, but also takes part in a number of spring track meets which must serve as exhibitions.
Teams such as Texas Tech, McMurry State, and the University of Texas – Permian Basin competed in the annual season-opening event, making the field of competitors quite tough. Despite sending just three runners, Head Coach Matt Aguero was satisfied with his squad’s performance at the meet.
“I’m pleased with how everyone ran this weekend,” Coach Aguero said. “I’m pleased with their performances and pleased with their improvements. It was a little windy out there, but other than that it was a great day. Everyone ran great times.”
Freshman David Chirchir took 1st place (out of 12 runners) in the steeple chase, winning by nearly a minute overall. He finished the race with a time of 9:09.27, with the second place runner finishing at 10:06.65.
“We knew going into the race that no one could compete with David (Chirchir),” Coach Aguero said. “He took off and was in the lead right from the gun.”
Freshman Ben Ware also competed in the meet, taking 11th place (out of 23 runners) in the 5000-meter run. He finished with a time of 16:49.84, just two minutes behind ACU’s Nicodemus Naimadu who won the event. Naimadu is one of the best runners in the entire NCAA.
Lawton native Guy Narcomey (freshman) was the third Aggie participant at the meet, competing in the 1500-meter race. He took 18th place out of 21 runners. Narcomey’s time of 4:48.64 is also a new personal record. Jon Kosgei of South Plains College won the event with a time of 3:46.58.
The Aggies next travel to Austin, Texas to compete in the Texas Relays from April 4th-7th. The Texas Relays is one of the biggest track and field events in the country every year.
In other Cross Country news, the 2007 Fall Season schedule was announced this morning. Below are the confirmed events for the Aggie Cross Country team:
September 8 - East Central University Tiger Chase - Ada, Okla.
September 22 - Oklahoma Baptist University Cross Country Meet – Shawnee, Okla.
September 29 - Oklahoma State University Cowboy Jamboree - Stillwater, Okla.
October 13 - University of Arkansas Chile Pepper Festival - Fayetteville, Ark.
October 20 - Lone Star Conference Championships - Commerce, Texas
November 3 - NCAA Division II South Central Regional Championships - Joplin, Mo.
November 17 - NCAA Division II National Championships - Joplin, Mo.
For further information on the Cameron Aggie Cross Country team, visit goaggies.cameron.edu.
