MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama cross country teams travel to South Bend, Ind., for the Adidas Notre Dame Invitational, which begins on Friday with the Women's Gold Division race at 1 p.m. (CT). The Jaguar men will compete, as they did last season, in the elite Blue Division at 4 p.m. (CT). This year's Men's Blue Division includes seven of the Top-30 programs in the nation as ranked by the United States Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Poll. The Jaguar men's team is ranked No.12 in the South Region of the USTFCCCA Poll.
In 2005, the men's cross country team earned their first ever Regional ranking after finishing 19th at this event. Vincent Rono tied for second in last year's Blue Division race, running 23:30 over the 8K (5 mile) distance. Tonny Okello was fourth (23:33), and like Rono, ran a career cross country best. Chris Solinsky of Wisconsin, the eventually NCAA Championship third place finisher, won with a time of 23:21.
This season, the Jaguars will face defending NCAA Champion and No.1 Wisconsin, No.15 Michigan, No.24 Florida State, No.26 Florida, No.27 Providence, No. 28 Eastern Michigan and the host team which is ranked No.16 in the country and was third at last year's championships. South Alabama is the only Sun Belt Conference school invited to compete in the top division.
Rono is the reigning SBC Runner of the Week, earning his fifth such honor in cross country since joining the Jags in 2005. The senior from Bomet, Kenya is coming off his second victory of the season, fourth career, leading the 1-2-3 finish by South Alabama at the LSU Cross Country Festival this past Saturday. His time for the 8K run was 25:22.84, which leads all Sun Belt performers this season. Rono also won the Azalea City Classic 5K (14:38.10) in Mobile, Ala., the first meet of the season for South Alabama.
Two-time cross country All-American Tonny Okello was second in Baton Rouge, La., running 25:27.60 over the hilly course. Okello was also second at the Jags home meet (14:43.35). The senior was 25th at the NCAA Championship after winning the NCAA South Regional.
Jaguar newcomer, Micah Tirop was the final member of the trio that swept the podium at LSU. The Moi University (Kenya) transfer crossed the line in 25:40.67 in his second American collegiate cross country meet. Tirop was third (14:46.20) in the first meet of the season as well.
Stephen Larubi, who cramped up and did not finish the LSU race, will make the trip to Notre Dame. Larubi was 186th of the 200 runners at this meet last year in a time of 27:16.
Also scheduled to compete are David Dollo and Ryan Robinson. Dollo, a junior from Mulago, Uganda, finished 41st at LSU (32:43.87) in his first career 8K and was 11th (18:56.63) at the Azalea City Classic. Robinson is a transfer from Rend Lake College (Ill.) and will be making his 2006 cross country debut.
The Lady Jags will compete in the Gold Division just as they did last year, when they finished 24th. Sun Belt Conference rival Arkansas State is also scheduled for the 5K race along with up-and-comers Cincinnati (third in 2005), Santa Clara (t-fourth), and Valparasio (11th).
Mobile native Lauren Lemon was 22nd overall last Saturday at LSU. The senior covered the 6K course in 25:17.17, besting her previous personal record (p.r.) for the distance by nearly a minute and 30 seconds. Lemon was second at the home cross country meet with a time of 20:19.64. The graduate of Mobile Christian Academy (Ala.) was 167th at this meet last year.
Junior Cassandra Perkins won the Azalea City Classic (20:07.57), but fell to 34th (26:20.53) at the LSU, almost two minutes slower than her p.r. The former West Bellevue (Neb.) standout has the best 6K time of all the returning Lady Jags at 24:25.30. Perkins led the Lady Jags at Notre Dame last season, running 20:23 in 141st.
Clarisse Moh, competing her first-ever cross country season, was two spots back of Perkins at LSU in a time of 26:27.48. Moh was fourth at the Azalea City Classic (20:33.46).
In 38th at LSU was senior Darryllisha Burch (26:31.93). Like Moh, the Los Angeles native is in her first year of cross country.
Relative veterans on the women's side, sophmore Jessica Miller (46th at LSU, 27:03.70) and junior Melissa Womble (51st, 27:26.92) round out the squad for Friday's meet. Miller was 171st in 2005 at this meet, while Womble was 180th. Womble set a new p.r. for 6K this past Saturday, besting her old mark of 27:38 set at the 2005 Chili Pepper Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark.
