Friday, November 17, 2000

Wildcats ready to capture national crown
Title would be ACU’s first in cross country
By Brett Vito
Reporter-News Staff Writer

When he looks back at the season, one fact about the Abilene Christian University cross country team’s performance stands out for coach Jon Murray, and it has nothing to do with the Wildcats’ No. 1 ranking in Division II or their string of upset wins.

“We have shown that we can accomplish things that other people think we can’t,” Murray said. “We are a strong unit that has handled the pressure we have faced all season.”

That ability will come in handy Saturday when the Wildcats face their biggest challenge of the season at the NCAA Division II national championship meet at Prado Park in Chino, Calif.

The Wildcats enter the 10,000-meter race favored to win their first national championship, but will have to overcome the challenge of facing Western State and Adams State, two traditional powers from Western Colorado.

Western State is the defending national champion while Adams State won four national titles during the 1990s.

“It will be close between us and Western State,” Murray said. “Our No. 1 ranking does not mean that much. Western has won the national title before and we haven’t, so we still feel like we are the underdog.”

Winning a national championship would be a new experience for ACU, but capturing a team title would be a familiar position. The Wildcats have won all six of the meets they have run in this season, including a pair of races the University of Arkansas, the top-ranked team in Division I, also competed in.

The consistent performance of Alfred Rugema has been one reason ACU is a favorite in the national championship race. The sophomore has won five of the six races he has run in this season and finished second in the other.

Rugema will face what might be his toughest challenge of the year when he faces Michael Aish of Western State. Aish ran in the Olympics and then returned to the United States to win the Rocky Mountain Conference and North Central Region title.

Rugema won the Lone Star Conference and South Central Region titles before being named the runner of the year in the region. Rugema will have the chance to avenge a pair of losses to Aish in the 5,000-meter race last season during track season.

“I am ready to run against him again,” Rugema said. “I am more confident heading into this race than I was last season.”

While Rugema’s run at the individual championship will be important to ACU’s chances, the performance of John Kemboi and Gilbert Tuhabonye could be the key for the Wildcats. Kemboi and Tuhabonye are usually the second and third runners across the finish line for ACU.

“We will have to dominate up front,” Murray said. “If we can do that and get our fourth and fifth guys across the line as soon as we can we will have a good chance.”

Nahimana to compete in women’s race

Rugema and the rest of the ACU men will not be ACU’s only representatives at the national meet. Justine Nahimana will compete in the 6,000-meter women’s race.

The freshman finished second in the LSC race earlier in the season and will be aiming for a top-15 finish that would earn her all-American status.

Contact sports writer Brett Vito at 676-6771 or vitob@abinews.com. We are on the Web at http://sports.texnews.com.