Tech Cross Country Begins 2009 Season
September 01, 2009 | Cross Country
Sept. 1, 2009
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech's 2009 men's and women's cross country teams are set to open the season this Fri., Sept. 4, in Ruidoso, N.M., with the Texas Tech Ruidoso Open.
Tech will travel to five meets this season before heading to Columbia, Mo., for the Big 12 Championships on Oct 31. Lubbock will host the Texas Tech Open on Fri., Sept. 18, at the Meadowbook Golf Course. Other stops include the Oklahoma State Cowboy Jamboree and the Chile Pepper Festival,which the Lady Raiders have won the last two years.
The 2008 Big 12 Women's Cross Country Champions had its most best successful season in school history and lost the most successful female in NCAA cross country history, Sally Kipyego, but expectations are as high as ever.
"I'm excited about our women's team, it's going to be great," head coach Jon Murray exclaimed. "Losing the NCAA Cross Country Champion does hurt, but we received some proven talent in the transfers we received. When you add them to the mix, our team could be better depth wise."
Returning All-American Lillian Badaru, All-Mountain Region Gladys Kipsang and All-Big 12 Michelle Guzman return to provide a solid core to lead the team. Badaru finished third at the Chile Pepper Festival and second at both the Big 12 Championships and Mountain Regional Championships. The sophomore from Uganda wrapped her season up with a seventh place finish at the NCAA Championships.
"They (Badaru, Kipsang, Guzman) have shown some great leadership in workouts," Murray said. "They get in there and work hard."
The newcomers to the women's squad have the ability to take up the slack of losing three-time NCAA Champion Sally Kipyego and the All-Big 12 and All-Mountain Region runner Asia Diaz. Two transfers from Wayland Baptist and one from Abilene Christian has raised the excitement level for the Lady Raiders.
Purity Biwott, a native of Eldoret, Kenya, was an 11-time NAIA All-American and all-conference runner at Wayland Baptist. Caroline Karunde was a NAIA All-American in cross country and was named NAIA All-American a total of nine times at Wayland Baptist. Her sister, Winrose Karunde, transfers from Abilene Christian and brings titles in the 3000M steeplechase and the 10,000M.
The men's team brings back All-Big 12 runner Gilbert Limo and two student-athletes who redshirted in Silas Kemboi and Zach Quinones. Those three should lead the team during the season. The squad returns four runners from the group that competed at the Big 12 Championships and five runners from the Mountain Regional team.
"The guys' team is exciting as well and we will be stronger than last year," Murray stated. "Bringing back the two guys that redshirted (Quinones, Kemboi) will make our depth better and it could be our best team we have had over the last few years."
Senior Cory Higgins, juniors Logan Culotta and Nathan Milles as well as sophomore Zack Dawson, give the Red Raiders depth as well as experience. All four competed at the Mountain Regional Championships.
The Red Raiders and Lady Raiders compete in the Texas Tech Ruidoso Open on Fri., Sept. 4, and will host the Texas Tech Open at Meadowbrook Golf Course on Fri., Sept. 18.
Players Mentioned
