Troy University Athletics
Conference Championship Set for Saturday
10/29/2009 5:00:00 PM | Track & Field
MONROE, La. - The Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships will be hosted by the University of Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday October 31. All events will take place at Selman Field in Monroe.
The Men's 8k (4.97 miles) will begin at 10:00 am, while the Women's 5k (3.11 miles) is slated to start at 11:00 am. The course opens up at 8:00 am.
Troy distance coach Stephane Hetherington has been preparing his team for the conference championships all season. He has not worried about winning overall races, as long as his teams get better and can prepare for the championships - which has been their goal.
"I've been so impressed with the steady and consistent improvement of everyone on our team," Hetherington said. "It gives me a lot of confidence that they are all physically ready to run at their best this weekend. Regardless of the result we end up with, knowing that we've timed things properly and that each runner is at their physical peak, gives me peace of mind. There is no second guessing whether we are primed to race, so that's one less thing I need to worry about. I feel like we've progressed as a team and as a family as well.
"Most of the runners have been teammates for alot longer than I've been around. Having been through alot with everyone one of them this fall I feel has allowed them to put their trust in me and each other more and more. I sense that and it has really become evident over the last four or five weeks."
Although this is a team event, there have been two runners - Jeremy Moujoodi and Sylvia Chirchir - who have stood out for the Trojans heading into championship weekend. Moujoodi is coming off a victory at the Coach O Invitational two weeks ago in a well-planned race, while Chirchir has finished in the top five all but once this season for the Trojans.
"These two are the real deal" Hetherington said. "They have the physical tools to mix it up with the other front runners in the conference. I have complete faith that they will both figure out a way to maximize their contribution to the team score, and fullfill their individual goals at the same time."
Last season WKU brought home both the men's and women's championships and looks to do so again this year. On the women's side they are led by senior Janet Jesang. Jesang will be attempting to capture her third-straight SBC individual cross country title Saturday, while the Lady Toppers will be attempting to capture their fourth-straight team title. Jesang has been the mainstay in the women's distances for WKU during her time on the Hill. During the 2008-09 school year, Jesang earned all-America honors during cross country, indoor (5k), and outdoor (5k). Last year, Jesang finished first out of 71 women with a time of 17:27:09, almost 19 seconds faster then her closest competitor.
Looking to stop WKU's run for a fourth straight title will be Middle Tennessee led by Zamzam Sangau. Sangau, a native of Uganda like Jesang, has been impressive this season for the Blue Raiders earning the SBC Runner of the week honor twice. Last year the then junior finished runner-up to Jesang with a time of 17:45:89.
Other teams looking to compete for the team championship will be Arkansas State, North Texas, and UALR.
On the men's side, South Alabama will look to outrun Patrick Cheptoek (second overall in 2008) and the Hilltoppers with the help from the two-time consecutive title holder, Micah Tirop. Tirop's win last season marked the sixth consecutive time a Jaguar has claimed the gold at the SBC Championships. Tirop finished the course in 24:47:35 about 13 seconds faster than Cheptoek. Other teams in contention for the men's team title include Middle Tennessee, UALR, and North Texas led by Patrick Strong (third overall in 2008).
The big key to the race for the Trojans, who will try and sneak up the standings will be the effect of the middle-pack runners throughout the morning.
"One of the advantages we will see this year is a contribution from runners in the middle," Hetherington said. "Those runner may finish as our sixth, seventh and eighth runners for our team. We finally have depth as a team and will make use of it as best we can. I predict a very close score for the top five teams this weekend and every point will matter. Every runner on the course plays an equally important role. We saw that last weekend at the Coach 'O' race when our sixth runner clinched the win for our men's team."
All of the attention this week has been put on Middle Tennessee, WKU and South Alabama; which has enabled the Trojans to concentrate on their race and no one else.
"There is alot of stress placed on the runners of a team that is expected to place well," Hetherington said. "It's easy for them to waste a lot of mental and physical energy racing each other way too early in the race. I've tried to instill a mind set that minimizes unecessary stress early on in races.
"If we can be relaxed and positioned properly when we start to actually 'race' I think we could surprise alot of people. I'm expecting some of the favorites to look over their shoulders and see people in crimson they don't recognize. That is a scary proposition for a front runner."
There will be an awards ceremony following the Women's 5k. During the ceremony awards will be handed out for Coach of the Year, Men's/Women's Freshman of the Year, Men's/Women's Top Meet Performers, and the Men's/Women's Individual and Team Champions.
Coaches were polled for the projected order of finish of the teams and on the men's side South Alabama is the favorite while on the women's side the coaches predict a fourth straight team championship for WKU.
After South Alabama for men the ballots had Middle Tennessee, UALR, WKU, North Texas, Arkansas State, Troy, Florida Atlantic, Louisiana-Monroe, FIU, and Louisiana-Lafayette.
For the women WKU is followed by Middle Tennessee, Arkansas State,
North Texas, UALR, South Alabama, Florida Atlantic, Troy, FIU, Louisiana-Lafayette and
Louisiana-Monroe.
