Troy University Athletics
Troy University
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Trojans finish fourth at Coach "O" Invitational
10/20/2007 5:00:00 AM | Track & Field
TROY, Ala. - The Troy Trojans geared up for the conference race next weekend, finishing fourth on the men's side and sixth on the women's side in the Coach "O" Invitational Saturday morning.
"Both teams ran very well," assistant coach Tommy Barksdale said. "We are getting better, and this meet was a good tune-up for us to get ready for the conference meet next weekend. This kind of meet is what we needed because it helps us in getting better and stronger, as well as prepared for the conference meet."
Jeremy Moujoodi led the Trojans' efforts, finishing sixth with a time of 15:57.98, finishing just over a second behind Georgia State's Loris Hutterli. Troy also placed Terrence Dixon and Paul Boothe in the top 20. Dixon finished 16th with a time of 16:34.47, while Boothe crossed the line in 18th place with a time of 16:37.87.
Tim Landry was the next runner across for the Trojans, finishing in 25th place with a time of 16:55.43. Meanwhile, Brett Lewis finished 32nd (17:18.38) and Adam Bradley 34th (17:24.78) to round out the field for the Trojans.
Vincent Rono, a former Sun Belt and NCAA champion, led the field with a time of 15:04.50 - running for South Elite Cross Country Club. Micah Tirop of South Alabama finished second, followed closely by teammate Antipah Sugut in third.
Troy finished fourth in the 5K race with 81 total points, averaging a time of 16:40.83. The Trojans finished behind Georgia State (65 points), Birmingham-Southern (72 points) and Alabama State (77 points), but finished ahead of defending Sun Belt Conference champion South Alabama (118 points).
"It was a huge confidence booster for us to be able to beat the defending conference champions," assistant coach Tommy Barksdale said. "It bodes well for the team, and will give us confidence heading into the conference championships next week."
Meanwhile, on the women's team finished sixth in the field with a total of 139 points, finishing ahead of conference foe South Alabama (158 points) who finished in eighth place. The meet was won by Mercer, finishing with 65 points.
Jenean Corcoran set the pace for the Trojans, finishing ninth in the 3200 meter run, with a time of 11:47.81. Jennifer Graham also finished in the top 20 for the Trojans, coming across in 18th place with a time of 12:03.94. Kelly Harrington came across 25th for the Trojans with a time of 12:15.36, while Brentley Collins finished 48th with a time of 13:10.14.
Kimberly Tompkins (13:13.19), Erin Clymer (13:17.08), Brittany McGhee (14:35.23) and Megan Young (14:35.48) rounded out the runners for Troy on the afternoon.
"The women finished last int the conference last season," Barksdale said. "To be able to beat a conference team at the time of the year, has the runners excited and ready to run at conference."
Everlyne Matonyei of Southeastern Louisiana won the meet with a time of 11:13.27.
The races were just part of the festivities this weekend, as former coach Charles Oliver returned to campus; along with numerous alumni.
"It was great to have coach Oliver back and alumni return," Director of Track and Cross Country's Jill Lancaster said. "It gave our athletes an opportunity to see some people that have paved the way for them, and they were able to speak to a few of them."
Troy returns to action next weekend at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Bowling Green.
