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Tulsa Men and SMU Women Capture 2011 C-USA Cross Country Championship Titles
XC Championships

	SMU wins its third title in the last four years.

Oct. 31, 2011

HOUSTON, Texas - The University of Tulsa men and SMU women won the 2011 Conference USA Cross Country Championship at the Wildcat Golf Course on Monday in Houston, Texas. The Golden Hurricane men picked up their second-straight title, and the Mustangs captured their third crown in the last four years.

2011 C-USA Men's 8k Championship Results

2011 C-USA Women's 5k Championship Results

Tulsa finished with 35 points followed by UTEP with 48. The Miners also placed second in 2010 and have finished among the top two each of their seven years in the league, winning titles from 2005-07 and 2009. Finishing third was the Houston men as they recorded 71 points for their best performance since winning the event in 2004.

Tulsa placed five runners among the top-10 scorers. Leading the pack was senior Carl Stone with a fourth-place time of 24:01.5, followed closely by junior Andy Heyes with a 24:02.6 for fifth. Rounding out Tulsa's All-C-USA first team selections was junior Gerraint Davies with a seventh-place showing of 24:10.0. All-C-USA second team honors went to seniors Tom Marshall (24:13.3) and Paulo Pinheiro (24:15.6) as they finished ninth and 10th, respectively.

For the second-consecutive year, UTEP clocked the top two times as junior Justice Chirchir edged defending individual champion and teammate Elkana Rotich. Chirchir won the individual medalist honors with a time of 23:39.0 while Rotich crossed second in 23:51.1.

In addition to finishing third, the Cougars captured Senior of the Meet and Freshman of the Meet accolades. Senior of the Meet honors went to Wesley Ruttoh, who finished third overall with a time of 23:55.3. Yonas Tesfai placed eighth with a 24:11.3 for Freshmen of the Meet merits.

On the women's side, defending champion Tulsa was edged by two points and placed second as TU scored 59 to SMU's 57 points, marking the second closest conference meet in league history. One point decided the 2006 championship race as UAB edged Rice. Battling for third and fourth place this year was Rice and East Carolina as they finished with 83 and 86 points, respectively.

After redshirting the 2010 season, SMU senior Silje Fjortoft returned to the course and clocked a championship-best 5K time of 16:06.8, earning her a second individual medalist honor. She also won the 2008 event with a time of 16:46. Two-time defending champion Risper Kimaiyo placed second crossing in 16:14.7.

Assisting Fjortoft was senior Kristine Eikrem-Engeset who placed seventh in 17:22.2 to conclude All-C-USA first team honors. Earning second team all-conference for the Mustangs was junior Mary Alenbratt and senior Monika Korra as the pair placed 12th (17:37.7) and 14th (17:49.0), respectively.

The University of Tulsa head coach Steve Gulley was voted the Men's Coach of the Year and SMU's Cathy Casey ¬was selected the Women's Coach of the Year.

The first 21 men and women to cross the finish line at the conference championships will be named to the All-C-USA first (1-7), second (8-14), and third (15-21) teams.

The majority of C-USA teams will be competing in the upcoming NCAA Regionals on Nov. 12, followed by the NCAA Championship on Nov. 21.

2011 C-USA WOMEN'S FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. SMU 57
2. Tulsa 59
3. Rice 83
4. East Carolina 86
5. UTEP 162
6. UAB 167
7. Memphis 208
8. Houston 219
9. Tulane 236
10. UCF 258
11. Southern Miss 271
12. Marshall 281

Individual Medalist: Silje Fjortoft, SMU
Outstanding Senior: Silje Fjortoft, SMU
Freshman of the Year: Lauren Collette, Tulsa
Coach of the Year: Cathy Casey, SMU

2011 C-USA WOMEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
C-USA All-Conference First Team
1. Silje Fjortoft, SMU - 16:06.8
2. Risper Kimaiyo, UTEP - 16:14.7
3. Paula Whiting, Tulsa - 16:43.6
4. Brittany Copeland, East Carolina - 16:56.7
5. Becky Wade, Rice - 16:57.1
6. Allison Pye, Rice - 17:19.9
7. Kristine Eikrem-Engeset, SMU - 17:22.2

C-USA All-Conference Second Team
8. Ashley Scott, Tulsa - 17:33.5
9. Rhiannon Johns, UAB - 17:33.7
10. Tara Wilson, East Carolina - 17:34.6
11. Jaclyn Rollins, Tulsa - 17:37.0
12. Mary Alenbratt, SMU - 17:37.7
13. Stephanie Ledgerwood, Southern Miss - 17:37.8
14. Monika Korra, SMU - 17:49.0

C-USA All-Conference Third Team
15. Brooke Kott, East Carolina - 17:53.4
16. Kristina Vaughn, UAB - 17:54.4
17. Halsey Fowler, Rice - 17:56.6
18. Josie Wilcox, Tulsa - 17:59.5
19. Lauren Collette, Tulsa - 18:00.0
20. Jamie Perzanowski, UCF - 18:01.7
21. Sarah Hudak, UAB - 18:04.1

2011 C-USA MEN'S FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Tulsa 35
2. UTEP 48
3. Houston 71
4. Rice 108
5. Marshall 133
6. Memphis 135
7. East Carolina 191
8. Tulane 228

Individual Medalist: Justice Chirchir, UTEP
Outstanding Senior: Wesley Ruttoh, Houston
Freshman of the Year: Yonas Tesfai, Houston
Coach of the Year: Steve Gulley, Tulsa

2011 C-USA MEN'S INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
C-USA All-Conference First Team
1. Chirchir, Justice, UTEP - 23:39.0
2. Elkana Rotich, UTEP - 23:51.1
3. Wesley Ruttoh, Houston - 23:55.3
4. Carl Stones, Tulsa - 24:01.5
5. Andy Heyes, Tulsa - 24:02.6
6. Mathew Schiffbauer, Marshall - 24:09.8
7. Gerraint Davies, Tulsa - 24:10.0

C-USA All-Conference Second Team
8. Yonas Tesfai, Houston - 24:11.3
9. Tom Marshall, Tulsa - 24:13.3
10. Paulo Pinheiro, Tulsa - 24:15.6
11. Dennis Hodapp, Tulsa - 24:18.5
12. Solomon Gardea, UTEP - 24:30.9
13. Sam Masters, Tulsa - 24:35.3
14. Abel Koskey, UTEP - 24:36.6

C-USA All-Conference Third Team
15. James Maglasang, Memphis - 24:39.0
16. David Smith, Houston - 24:47.4
17. Mitch Johnson, Tulsa - 24:55.0
18. Michael Trejo, Rice - 25:02.6
19. Bill Martin, Tulsa - 25:15.7
20. John Cavallo, Rice - 25:18.4
21. Juan Blanco, UTEP - 25:18.4