LSC Cross Country Top Times - As of 10/6/21 (PDF)

Sixteen Lone Star Conference cross country programs competed against top-level competition last weekend at the Chile Pepper XC Festival, Louisville Classic and Charles Bowles Cross Country Invitational. Oklahoma Christian’s women earned a second-place team finish as Kenya Bailey took home individual honors in the Chile Pepper’s Women’s 5-kilometer Open Race. West Texas A&M's Florance Uwajeneza finished ahead of all other Division II runners at the Louisville Classic, continuing her streak as the top Division II finisher at each meet this season.
 
LSC cross country results are available here: https://www.tfrrs.org/leagues/1392.html.

Lone Star Conference Cross Country Championships
The 2021 LSC Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Championships will take place Saturday, October 23, in Lawton, Oklahoma at the Big Green Soccer Complex hosted by Cameron. The championships will consist of a 6-kilometer race for the women at 9:30 a.m. followed by an 8-kilometer race for the men at 10:30 a.m. For more information, visit LSC Cross Country Championships Central.
 
RUNNERS OF THE WEEK
MEN’S
Innocent Murwanashyaka, West Texas A&M, JR, Criminal Justice, St. Paul, Minn., Como Park Senior HS
Murwanashyaka became the third Buff in program history to go under 24 minutes over 8-kilometers on Saturday at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic. The junior from St. Paul, Minn. ran 23:53.8, the third-fastest time in program history, to finish 18th in a race that featured four NCAA Division II teams ranked in the USTFCCCA Coaches’ Poll.
 
WOMEN’S
Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M, JR, Nursing, St. Paul, Minn., Como Park Senior HS
Uwajeneza remained undefeated against NCAA Division II competition as she finished 15th overall at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic on Saturday morning in Louisville, Ky. The junior nearly went under 17 minutes for the second straight race as she covered the 5-kilometer course at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in 17:00.2.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
MEN’S
Gustavo Posada, West Texas A&M, FR, Engineering, Houston, Texas, Klein HS
Posada continued the strong start to his collegiate career as the Houston native was the third finisher for the Buffs at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic. He covered the 8-kilometer course at E.P. “Tom” Sawyer State Park in 25:28.4.
 
WOMEN’S
Betty Bajika, West Texas A&M, FR, Engineering, Arlington, Texas, Kennedale HS
Bajika continues to improve as the Kennedale native ran a personal best over 5-kilometers for the third straight on Saturday at the Live in Lou Cross Country Classic. She went under 19 minutes for the first time after crossing the finish line in 18:36.2.
 
WEEKLY AWARDS
Men’s
S-8       Innocent Murwanashyaka, West Texas A&M
S-15     Colten Brown, Oklahoma Christian
S-22     Erik Flores, UT Permian Basin
S-29     Cody Hepker, Western New Mexico
O-6      Innocent Murwanashyaka, West Texas A&M (2)
 
Women’s
S-8       Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M
S-15     Kenya Bailey, Oklahoma Christian
S-22     Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M (2)
S-29     Victoria Hinojosa, St. Edward's
O-6      Florance Uwajeneza, West Texas A&M (3)
 
Men’s Freshman
S-8       Gustavo Posada, West Texas A&M
S-15     Alex Speer, Texas A&M-Commerce
S-22     Hector Sanchez, UT Permian Basin
S-29     Aaron Perez, Western New Mexico
O-6      Gustavo Posada, West Texas A&M (2)
 
Women’s Freshman
S-8       Marta Pascoa, Eastern New Mexico
S-15     Emme O'Donnell, DBU
S-22     Emme O'Donnell, DBU (2)
S-29     Odette Fernandez, Texas A&M-Kingsville
O-6       Betty Bajika, West Texas A&M
 
SELECTED NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Kelvin Kipkemboi, Eastern New Mexico, finished as the fastest LSC runner at the highly competitive Chile Pepper Invitational. His time of 25:16.7 landed him in 55th place during his heat with 338 runners. With both heats combined, Kipkemboi would have finished in 56th place out of 594 runners. The meet featured nationally ranked programs from across the country, spread out through all three NCAA Divisions.
 
    Angel Contreras, UT Tyler, led the Patriots to a 27th place finish in a field of 36 at the prestigious Chili Pepper Invitational. Contreras ran the 8K event in a time of 25:28.6 to finish in 61st place. At the 1 mile mark, Contreras was all the way back in 206th place before picking up 107 places by the halfway mark of the race.
 
    Jelte van Atten, Oklahoma Christian, led OC in the Chile Pepper Festival’s Prairie Fire race in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday. On a warm afternoon, van Atten finished 21st among 256 runners with a time of 26:51.2 over 8-kilometers.
 
    Kenya Bailey, Oklahoma Christian, posted her second win of the cross country season and in her career, taking top honors in the Chile Pepper Festival's Prairie Fire race in Fayetteville, Ark., on Friday. Competing against a 237-runner field that included teams from all levels from NCAA Division I down to junior colleges, Bailey prevailed in a career-best time of 17:55.6 over 5-kilometers on a warm afternoon and led the Eagles to a second-place finish in a 30-team field. Bailey, who hadn't won a cross country race before this season, also took top honors in the season-opening Aggie Duels in Lawton.
 
    Aminata Kenyawani, Eastern New Mexico, set a personal best on a 5-kilometer course with a time of 18:24.8 at the Chile Pepper Invitational. Kenyawani placed 89th in her heat, which consisted of 322 runners from top programs around the nation. Kenyawani was the fastest LSC runner in her heat.
 
    Alondra Campa, Texas A&M-Commerce, raced to a season-best time of 20:30.3 at the Chile Pepper Festival to place 50th in the 5-kilometer race.
 
    Faith Brothers, St. Edward’s, was the highest finisher for the Hilltoppers at the annual Chile Pepper Festival, competing against top talent at all levels in the race. She posted a time of 18:30.7, averaging 5:49.2 per mile to finish in 99th place overall.
 
    Natasha Carcano, UT Tyler, helped lead the Patriots to a 14th place finish out of a 30 team field at the Chili Pepper Invitational. She ran the 5K event in a time of 19:17.0 and placed 13th individually. Carcano finished the first mile in 22nd position before passing nine competitors by the end of the race.
 
    Calista Segura, UT Tyler, helped pace the Patriots in the Chili Pepper Invitational by placing second on the team, leading to a 14th overall finish for UT Tyler. Segura ran the 5K in 20:06.6 to finish in 36th overall. The event marks the third straight race that Segura has finished second for the Patriots.
 
    Dylan Sequeira, St. Edward’s, was the top finisher for the Hilltoppers at the Chile Pepper Festival, posting a final time of 25:42.7 in the 8-kilometer race. He finished in 89th place against predominately Division I opponents.