Gillette College cross country teams place in top 20 in nation
November 17, 2009
Published: Monday, November 16, 2009 12:34 PM MST
The Gillette College cross country squads turned heads once again at the Division I national championships in Peoria, Ill., on Saturday.
The Pronghorns finished 17th in the mens field with 438 points and the women were 11th with 332 points in their first national championship race.
A year ago, the college men finished 22nd in the national championships. The women didn’t have enough runners to earn a team score.
Two Gillette College runners also earned All-American honors for their finishes on Saturday.
“I’m really excited about this,” Gillette College coach Chris Kozlowski said. “It’s huge, especially on the girls side.
“We didn’t get one vote in the (rankings) the last six weeks. ... Up until this point, they thought our women’s team had no business being here. We show up and we’re 11th.”
Among the teams upset by the unranked Pronghorn women was Paradise Valley Community College, ranked 15th in the latest national poll.
The women also bettered No. 11 Butler Community College, No. 12 Johnson County College, No. 18 North Iowa Area College; and No. 19 Iowa Western.
Maggie Warner of Newberg, Ore., topped the Pronghorns by placing 11th overall in 18:33. She won the Coaches Association and National Junior College Athletic Association’s All-American honors.
Finishing behind her were Ebby Jeptoo of Kapsabet, Kenya, 48th 19:48; Kelsie Dellos, Ranchester, 95th, 20:42; Stormy Sharp, Thermopolis, 102nd, 20:50; Ale Salas, Wright, 111th, 20:58; and Raven Ruger, Gillette, 125th, 21:09.
Dellos and Sharp ran personal records.
Kipkorir ‘Kip” Mutai of Bomet, Kenya, topped the Pronghorn men by placing sixth overall with a personal record of 25:01. For the second straight year he won All-American honors.
The men competed over an 8K course. Joe Mead of Rawlins followed in 86th, 27:52; Garrett Stricklin of Casper was 92nd in 27:55, a personal record; Robert Palmer of Gillette was 142nd, 28:45; Sam Molder of Gillette was 149th, 28:54; Nic Penning of Hulett was 154th, 28:58; and Chase Beattie of Gillette was 165th in 29:11 with a personal record of his own. He also improved on his finish in 2008.
Stricklin accomplished that feat despite suffering a 4-inch spoke mark on his thigh from another runner who had tumbled in the finish area and caught Stricklin as he ran past.
Next up for the runners is the national half marathon in Shawnee, Kan., on Nov. 21.
A year ago, the men placed 12th in the half-marathon and Mutai was seventh overall. The Pronghorn women finished fourth, led by Jeptoo in ninth.
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