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[October 7, 2007] MEMPHIS – Approximately 670 collegiate runners participated Saturday in the Brooks Memphis Twilight Classic hosted by Christian Brothers at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. The Southern Arkansas (555) men’s team placed 20th out of 42 teams, while the women (615) were 23rd out of 41. The classic has grown to be the largest night-time cross country meet in the nation with an estimated 2,000 runners competing this year, including high school teams. The quality of the field was at an all-time high also, with national powerhouses such as Drake, defending men’s champion South Alabama, North Texas, Stephen F. Austin State, defending women’s champion Harding, and Arkansas-Little Rock. Drake swept both the men’s and women’s divisions, with the men’s team (79) outscoring Jacksonville State (110) by 31 points for the team title. Arkansas-Little Rock (126) was third, Eastern Illinois (191) fourth, and Saint Louis (225) rounded out the top five. Daniel Kirwa, who ran unattached, took the individual title, finishing the 8K course in 23:30.35. Vincent Rono (23:44.78) from South Elite T.C. was second, and Miicah Tirop (24:02.26) of South Alabama was the leading collegiate runner, finishing third overall. Josh Mitchell paced the Muleriders, finishing 86th overall among the 341-man field with a time of 26:36.90. Others scoring for SAU were Nathan Blim (27:07.42, 127), Dusty Hardin (27:24.73, 142), Colton Connelly (27:30.19, 147), and Kevin Perez (27:34.07, 153). Michael Wooten, Ryan Davis, Steve Martinez, and Ryan Laws also competed for Southern Arkansas. Drake (97) edged Saint Louis (99) by just two points in claiming the women’s team title. Harding (119) was third, Arkansas-Little Rock (129) placed fourth, and Stephen F. Austin State (134) was fifth. UALR’s Whitney Kerth (17:22.19) nipped Drake’s Nicole Braunsdorf (17:24.93) for individual honors in the 5K run. Lady Mulerider Kendall Mears (19:17.02) had an impressive showing, placing 37th out of 329 contestants. SAU’s other scoring came from Bailey Dulaney (20:33.37, 131), Heather Rochelle (20:49.55, 142), Samantha Sparks (21:10.10, 169), and Sara Banman (23:10.72, 247). The meet concluded Southern Arkansas’ regular season schedule. SAU now gears up for the Gulf South Conference championships that will be held October 20 at Veterans Park in Hoover, Ala. #SAU# |
