Red Raiders Ready for Regional Competition
November 08, 2006 | Cross Country
Nov. 8, 2006
LUBBOCK, Texas - The Texas Tech cross country squads will compete at the Mountain Regional Championships in Albuquerque, N.M., on Saturday, Nov. 11th. The 17th-ranked women's squad will first compete in the 6,000-meter race at 11 a.m. from the University of New Mexico North Golf Course. The men's 10K will follow at 12 p.m.
The University of New Mexico will host the event that features nine of the nation's top men's and women's squads. In the women's race, Colorado comes in as the No. 9 team, followed by No. 12 BYU, No. 17 Texas Tech, No. 24 Colorado State and No. 30 Weber State. On the men's side, Colorado is ranked second, with UTEP sitting at fourth. No. 14 BYU and No. 30 Weber State round out the ranked field.
In the latest district ratings, BYU sits atop the women's with UTEP leading the men's. Both Colorado teams are rated second in the Mountain Region after sweeping the Big 12 Championships. The Tech women are third in the women's ratings, while sitting in 14th on the men's side.
Leading the Red Raider women will be Big 12 individual titlist and Newcomer of the Year Sally Kipyego, who guided the Tech team to a second-place finish at the conference championships. Along with Kipyego, all-conference performers Irene Kimaiyo, who finished third, and 11th-place Violet Chemakwila will compete for Tech. Asia Diaz, Michelle Edman, Molly Evans, Gladys Kipsang and Jessica Stovall round out the eight competing women.
Kevin Chelimo, who finished fifth at the conference championships to earn all-Big 12 honors, will lead the men's squad. Others competing will be six individuals who also ran at the Big 12 Championships: Cory Higgins, Silas Kemboi, John Means, Zachery Quinones, Edwin Sang and Pedro Vargas.
In last year's regional event, the Red Raider women finished in eighth, with the men placing 13th. Kimaiyo led the women with a sixth-place finish, while Chemakwila took 13th. Chelimo led the Tech men's team after finishing sixth. All three of the aforementioned Tech members qualified for the NCAA Championships either automatically or after at-large team selections.
The first and second place teams at the regional meet will automatically qualify for the national meet, along with the first four individuals not on a qualifying team. Thirteen at-large teams will be selected the Sunday following regional events, as well as two at-large individuals.
Players Mentioned
