2005 Cross Country Preview
August 26, 2005 | Cross Country
Aug. 26, 2005
Red Raider cross country is set to begin a new era of competition with first-year head coach Jon Murray at the reigns of the rising program. After completing the most successful track and field season in Texas Tech history, the Red Raider distance squads are determined to carry over the success from the track onto the cross country course.
With newcomers outnumbering the returning letterwinners, Murray and his athletes are aware of the task at hand.
"It's exciting to come to a school that has such great success on the track," said Murray. "We are working hard to bring that success to the cross country program."
Murray is no stranger to success in cross country and track and field. He came to Tech from the prestigious Abilene Christian University Wildcat programs. He was named Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year in men's and women's cross country 24 times, while serving as president of the NCAA Division II Cross Country Coaches Association.
Murray's Wildcats were undefeated in LSC men's cross country with 14 straight titles, and the women's team won the league crown in 10 of the 14 seasons (giving him a total of 32 league titles as a head coach). Both men's and women's teams finished as high as second in the nation in NCAA Division II cross country. His 1993, 1996 and 1998-2004 men's cross country teams finished in the NCAA Division II top 10. The 2000-2003 squads both won NCAA South Central region championships and then went on to finish second at the national championship meet.
"I'm excited about Coach Murray being here," said senior Katie Leonard. "He recruited Jessica (Stovall) and I out of high school and we have always remained in contact. He seems really excited to be here which is great for our team. He is really looking forward to working with the girls. He's really excited about helping us accomplish our individual and team goals. With the older girls, he's looking to help us finish out strong and with the younger girls, he's working to build a solid foundation for the future."
At the helm of both the men's and women's programs, Murray is working towards the personal goals of the athletes and collaborative team goals.
"Knowing the program he came from and his training methods, he trains people to run their best when they need to," said junior Kyle Atwood. "His past teams have always peaked at the right point. They concentrate all of their focus on the challenging meets and they have always placed in the top two."
Murray will be taking over a team that has a very different look to it from last year. The Red Raiders lost nine letterwinners (four men, five women) from the 2004 season and have added 12 newcomers (eight men, four women).
Top returnees include Haron Lagat and Benson Cheserek for the men and Irene Kimayo for the women. They will welcome fellow Kenyans and 2005 track and field national qualifiers Kevin Chelimo and Violet Chemakwila to their first season of cross country.
"We have great leadership on both the men's and women's squads with many returning national qualifiers. Haron Lagat and Kevin Chelimo were national qualifiers and bring a lot of experience. We will also see great leadership out of Benson Cheserek," said Murray.
With Lagat, Cheserek and Chelimo potentially filling the top three spots, the newcomers will immediately step in to fight for a position.
"We will be relying on some of the younger guys to fill in the remaining holes. We have a lot of depth on the men's side. All-state runner Orey Smith will be one to have an immediate impact on the team," Murray added.
Smith, a native of South Lake, Texas, finished third at the district and regional meets and went on to finish second at the 5A state meet.
"We are going to be really dependent on some of the freshman coming in, especially Orey Smith. He's been hurt this summer but is getting back in shape. You can tell by the workouts we have done how much talent he has," said Atwood.
After finishing sixth at the Big 12 Championship in 2004, the women's squad took a hard hit when it lost five of its top seven runners.
"For the women, it's going to be a rebuilding year. We lost some great runners," said Murray.
Top returnee Irene Kimaiyo is back for her junior campaign after overcoming injuries sustained during the 2004 season.
"We have a solid second runner in Irene Kimaiyo. Historically, she has done really well in big meets. This is Violet Chemkwila's first cross country season but I expect her to do well at the conference and regional meets. We have a group of girls who are looking to fill those last spots and right now everyone has a chance," said Murray.
"I see a lot of good things in the team right now. It looks like Irene and Violet are in really good shape. Our freshmen are in excellent shape for just coming in. I think as a team, our goal should be to finish in the top six at conference this year," added Leonard.
The 2005 squads are facing a challenging season leading up to the Big 12 Championships in Waco, Texas and the Mountain Regional meet in Provo, Utah.
"We have set a very competitive schedule. The Stanford Invitational and the Chile Pepper Invitational are some of the best meets in the country. We really have our work cut out for us," Murray explained.
"The first few meets will get us ready for the bigger meets at the end of the schedule. By conference, we will be ready when it counts," added Atwood.
All roads lead to Waco and the Big 12 Championships for the 2005 team.
"For us, it is all about running well at conference and regionals. That is where all of our focus is going," said Murray.
From Waco to Provo for the Mountain Regionals meet, Murray's ultimate goal is to see members of the team qualify for Nationals in Terre Haute, Ind.
"We are really trying to improve on last year's efforts. We are just trying to get as close to nationals as possible."
Players Mentioned
