11/12/2009

In the latest edition of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Rankings for the 2009 season, the Lady Patriots Cross Country Team has moved up to 13th after dropping to 17th in the previous poll.

The Patriots moved up in part because of their 2nd place performance at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships on Saturday, November 7, 2009. The second place finish qualified the Lady Patriots for the NCAA National Championships on Saturday, November 21 in Evansville, Indiana.

At the Regional Championships, Seniors Hannah Steffan and Laura Mucho were named to the South Central All-Region Team with their top 15 finishes (Steffan 4th, Mucho 12th).

The Patriots will bring a very talented and experienced team to the National Championships with Seniors Lacey Morrison and Ashley Alford, Juniors Rachel Oncken and Tabbitha Ashford, and Sophomore Linet Kibet joining both Steffan and Mucho.

"The Regional Championships was a great moment for DBU Cross Country," said Head Coach Jacob Phillips, "We have had a wonderful season, and can't wait to be a part of the 2009 NCAA National Championships."

The Lady Patriots Cross Country team is the first team at DBU to qualify for the NCAA Championships.  The NCAA Women's National Championship race will be hosted by the University of Southern Indiana and will begin at Noon on Saturday, November 21.

11/7/2009

The DBU Lady Patriot Cross Country finished in second place at the NCAA Division II South Central Region Cross Country Championships hosted by Abilene Christian University on Saturday, November 7. 

With the second place finish, the Ladies Patriots advance to the 2009 NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Evansville, Indiana on the campus of the University of Southern Indiana, on November 21, for the first time in the history of the program.  The Lady Patriots are also the first team in the entire DBU Athletic Department to advance to NCAA Nationals.

"We came to the Regional meet expecting to have to earn our way to Nationals and we did that today with a total team effort.  We are very excited for the National meet in Indiana.  I am so proud of each of these girls and the hard work they have put in this entire season," Head Cross Country Coach Jacob Phillips said. 

The Lady Patriots finished with a total of 84 points to secure second place behind Missouri Southern University, who had 18 total points, and in front of Truman State University, who finished in third place with 97 points. 

Leading the Lady Patriots, just as she has done the entire year, Senior Hannah Steffan finished in fourth place.  Senior Laura Mucho finished in 12th place and was followed by Senior Lacey Morrison in 21st, Junior Tabbitha Ashford in 23rd, Senior Ashley Alford in 24th, Rachel Oncken in 26th and Sophomore Linet Kibet in 90th place to secure second place.

The Lady Patriots went into the Regional meet ranked 17th nationally and third in the South Central Region polls.

DBU had won their previous two meets, scoring 18 points at the NCAA Pre-Regional Meet hosted by Abilene Christian on October 10, and scoring 21 points at the Heartland Conference Championships on October 24, which was hosted at DBU.  The Lady Patriots has won the Heartland Conference for the past three seasons. 

During the 2008 season, the Lady Patriots finished fourth overall at the regional championships, but went on to finish second at the NCCAA National Championships a week later.

"This is a monumental day for the DBU Cross Country Program with their second place finish at Regionals and advancement to Nationals.  Each one of these student-athletes and coaches have put in tons of work since August and have continued to excel throughout the 2009 season. Coach Phillips has done a magnificent job in building the Cross Country Program at DBU and has gained many firsts for the entire program.  We are proud of the entire team and wish them luck at Nationals in two weeks," Ryan Erwin, Director of Athletics said.

11/5/2009

The nationally ranked (17th) Dallas Baptist University Lady Patriots Cross Country Team will be competing in the NCAA South Central Regional Championship this Saturday, November 7 in Abilene, Texas, on the campus of Abilene Christian University.  The Lady Patriots are currently ranked third in the South Central Region polls.

Competing for the Lady Patriots will be Seniors Ashley Alford, Lacey Morrison, Laura Mucho, and Hannah Steffan, Juniors Tabbitha Ashford and Rachel Oncken, and Sophomore Linet Kibet.  DBU has won their previous two meets, scoring 18 points at the NCAA Pre-Regional Meet hosted by Abilene Christian on October 10, and scored 21 points at the Heartland Conference Championships on October 24, which was hosted on the campus of DBU.

The top two finishing teams at the regional meet will advance to the NCAA Division II National Championships, which will be held in Evansville, Indiana on the campus of the University of Southern Indiana.

During the 2008 season, the Lady Patriots finished fourth overall at the regional championships, but went on to finish second at the NCCAA National Championships a week later.

The NCAA South Central Regional Championship meet will begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Abilene Zoo in Abilene, Texas. 

10/24/2009

The 2009 Heartland Conference Cross Country Championships were held on the campus of Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas, on Saturday, October 24, 2009, with the Dallas Baptist Lady Patriots and the University of the Incarnate Word Cardinals taking home Heartland Conference Titles. 

In the team classification for the women, Dallas Baptist University’s Lady Patriots took home their third consecutive Heartland Conference Championship as they finished with six runners in the top ten to score a season low 21 points.  The Incarnate Word Lady Cardinals followed in second place with 78 points, and the Newman University Lady Jets scored 86 points to finish a close eight points behind in third place.

Coming across the line in first place in the women’s individual race was Senior Hannah Steffan from DBU in a blistering time of 22:40 on the 6k course, winning the overall individual title for the second consecutive year.  Senior Laura Mucho for the Lady Patriots was second individually in a time of 23:04, and Senior Melissa Ortiz finished in a close third place for Newman in a time of 23:15.

UIW took home the team title on the men’s side as they finished with a very low team score of only 26 points, with six runners finishing in the top ten individual results.  Newman took home second place scoring 53 points, and Dallas Baptist followed in third scoring 80 team points.

Senior Shayn Weidner for the Cardinals ran across the 8k course in 25:53 to claim the individual title for UIW.  Junior Chris Taylor from Newman and Freshman Howard Gill from Incarnate Word battled it out behind Weidner for second place with Taylor edging out Gill by only a footstep as they finished in a time of 26:29.

2009 Heartland Conference Championships 

CLICK HERE for complete race results

Women's Race
1- DBU-21
2- UIW-78
3- NU-86

Individuals-(6k)
1- Hannah Steffan-DBU-(22:40)
2- Laura Mucho-DBU-(23:04)
3- Melissa Ortiz-NU-(23:15)

Men’s Race
1- UIW-26
2- NU-53
3- DBU-80

Individuals-(8k)
1- Shayn Weidner-UIW-(25:53)
2- Chris  Taylor-NU-(26:29)
3- Howard Gill-UIW-(26:29)

10/21/2009

The Dallas Baptist University Patriot Cross Country Teams will be hosting the annual Heartland Conference Cross Country Championships on Saturday, October 24, 2009 on DBU campus. In 2008, the Lady Patriots won  the Conference Championship behind a very strong showing with six ladies in the top 12 finishers. Senior Hannah Steffan is the defending Individual Champion as she cruised to victory over the 6k course.

Sophomore Linet Kibet was the Conference Freshman of the Year with her second place finish, while teammates Senior Lacey Morrison, Junior Tabbitha Ashford, and Junior Rachel Oncken all received All-Conference recognition. This year the Lady Patriots enter the contest ranked 15th in the NCAA and second in the South Central Region. Leading the Patriots this year has been Seniors Hannah Steffan, Laura Mucho, Lacey Morrison, and Ashley Alford, Ashford and Oncken, Kibet, and Freshmen Lindsay Sanders and Ashley Spivey.

The men finished the 2008 Conference Championships in second place, and return in 2009 to try and win back the title they held in 2007. Leading the Patriots last year and earning All-Conference honors was Senior Felix Rodriguez, Sophomore John Millsap, Junior Kurt Lindsey, and Sophomore Zach Morgan.

The Patriots are returning all four runners and have seen significant improvement from Sophomore Jordan Koser and Freshman Jesse Benes.  Rodriguez is the top returning athlete after placing second in 2007 and 2008.

The women's race will begin at 9:00 a.m. followed by the men at 10:00 a.m.  The course begins on the intramural fields before touring the campus.  Come out and support your Patriots Cross Country Teams!

10/10/2009

Senior Hannah Steffan won the individual title and four others were in the top seven as the 15th-ranked Lady Patriots ran away with the team title at the ACU/NCAA Pre-Regional XC Invitational in Abilene, Texas on October 10.

The Patriots scored 18 points and nearly had a perfect team score (15 points is a perfect score). Midwestern State (51 points), West Texas A&M (65 points), Abilene Christian (93 points), and Tarleton State (98 points) rounded out the top five, but none were close as the Lady Patriot’s margin of victory was over 30 points.

Steffan placed first with a time of 14:40 over the muddy 4k course.  Following her in and completing the scoring for the Lady Patriots were Senior Laura Mucho in second (14:55), Junior Tabbitha Ashford in 4th (15:01), Senior Lacey Morrison in 5th (15:13), and Junior Rachel Oncken in 7th (15:21).

"We had a solid effort today," Head Coach Jacob Phillips said. "We had our top group running together for most of the race.  The goal today was to get out and get in another solid effort as we build up for Championship races.  We accomplished our goals and look forward to future races."

Sophomore Linet Kibet finished 11th with Senior Ashley Alford, Freshman Lindsay Sanders, and Freshman Ashley Spivey all coming in top 20.

"Right now we have got great depth on this women's squad. We had 10 personal bests over 4k today and it was a muddy and slow day," said Phillips.  "We are very excited about the next month of the season, which finishes with the Regional Championships."

The Patriot men finished fourth overall behind regionally ranked and nationally ranked Tarleton State University (33 points) and Abilene Christian University (42 points).  The Patriots scored 71 points.

Leading the men was Senior Felix Rodriguez in his first race of the season. Rodriguez placed fourth overall behind NCAA All-American and NCAA Qualifier Amos Sang (ACU) and Jared McNeil (Tarleton State).  Completing the scoring for the Patriots were Sophomores John Millsap (16th), Zach Morgan (20th), Jordan Koser (24th) and Junior Kurt Lindsey (26th).

"We had our top four guys run right where they needed to be," said Phillips.  "We have got to find someone to step up and be our fifth guy to be successful at the Conference and Regional level."

Freshmen Nic White and Jesse Benes rounded out the top seven in places 29th and 31st respectively.

The Patriots return to action at the 2009 Heartland Conference Championships hosted on the DBU campus on October 24, 2009.

10/1/2009

In the fourth Edition of the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) National Rankings for the 2009 season, the Lady Patriots Cross Country squad has moved up one spot to 16th.  With their recent third place finish (2nd NCAA DII) at the Missouri Southern Stampede the Patriots moved into the top 20 and now are ranked 16th in the nation in all of Division II cross country.

 The Lady Patriots have also made their mark in the South Central Region as they are currently ranked second behind only Missouri Southern State University.

The Patriot Cross Country Teams will be back in action on October 10, 2009, as they race at the NCAA South Central Pre-Regional Preview meet hosted by Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas.

9/22/2009

Senior Hannah Steffan was named Heartland Conference Athlete of the Week for her performance in the Missouri Southern Stampede Cross Country Meet that was held on Saturday, September 19 in Joplin, Missouri.  The meet was hosted by Missouri Southern State University.

Steffan ran to a 10th place finish individually, leading the Lady Patriots to a third place overall team finish.  Steffan finished in a time of 17:58 for the 5k course as DBU was able run past nationally ranked schools such as Midwestern State University (14th) and Harding University (20th) to make their name as a national contender.

9/21/2009

The Dallas Baptist University Patriot Cross Country squads traveled to Joplin, Missouri, on Saturday for the 21st annual Missouri Southern Stampede Cross Country Invitational.  The Lady Patriots were third out of 41 teams while the Patriot Men were 24th out of 35.

"It was one of the biggest days our program has seen," commented Head Coach Jacob Phillips, "we are definitely excited about the next six weeks as we prepare for the Regional Championships."

Not only did the Lady Patriots finish third, but they upset nationally ranked opponents Midwestern State (14th) and Harding University (20th).  Seniors Hannah Steffan, Laura Mucho, Ashley Alford, and Lacey Morrison led the way for the ladies as the DBU had six runners under 19 minutes for the 5k race. Steffan placed 10th overall (17:58), Mucho 11th (18:00), Alford 38th (18:49), Morrison 39th (18:49).  Finishing out the scoring for the Lady Patriots was Junior Tabbitha Ashford in 45th (18:55). Junior Rachel Oncken was the other Patriot lady under 19 minutes in 47th (18:56).

"The girls ran as a team today with Hannah and Laura working together at the front and then our 3-6 runners working up throughout the race just passing runners the entire day," mentioned Phillips, "all in all a very good day and we are still not even close to where we think we can be."

The Patriot Men had the opportunity to race conference rival, Incarnate Word.  DBU was defeated as the Cardinals placed 19th overall. Junior Kurt Lindsey led the men in a personal best time of 26:36 and was followed in by Freshman Jesse Benes in 26:44 for the 8k distance.

Rounding out the scoring for the men was Sophomore Zach Morgan who ran 27:00, Sophomore Jordan Koser in 27:13, and Junior Ryan Clift in 28:02. All five scorers for the Patriots set a personal best on the day.

The Patriots are off for two weeks before traveling to Abilene, Texas, to take part in the NCAA South Central Pre-Regional Preview, hosted by Abilene Christian University. The meet will take place on October 10, 2009. 

9/16/2009

The Dallas Baptist University Patriot Cross Country Teams will be in action this weekend at the Missouri Southern State Stampede XC Invitational in Joplin, Missouri.  Going into the meet, the Lady Patriots are ranked 23rd in the country in the latest edition of the National Rankings by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

The Lady Patriots will be racing three other top 25 teams in MSSU (ranked 11th), Midwestern State University (ranked 14th), and Pittsburg State University (ranked 24th).  Also competing this weekend will be traditional NCAA Division I power, the Lady Razorbacks from the University of Arkansas, who are currently ranked 27th in the country(NCAA DI).

The Patriot Men will get a chance to face conference rival, the University of the Incarnate Word this weekend.  DBU and UIW have won the previous two Heartland Conference Championships.

8/28/2009

The Dallas Baptist University Patriot Cross Country teams kick off their season on September 4th at Baylor University for the annual Baylor Bear Twilight XC Invite. Going into 2009 season the Lady Patriots are ranked 3rd in the Pre-Season NCAA South Central Regional Poll and voted 24th in the Nation in all of Division II cross country by the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA).

These preseason rankings are the highest pre-season rankings the Lady Patriots have ever received. The Lady Patriots return their top 5 runners from 2008 and add Senior Ashley Alford who missed 2008 with an injury. In 2007, Alford was the 4th runner on the squad who won their first ever Heartland Conference Championship and finished 5th at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships. Also joining the Lady Patriots is transfer Laura Mucho who was a key contributor for Slippery Rock University's Cross Country squad in 2008. Mucho was an NCAA Qualifier in 2008 in Cross Country and in Track in 2009 as she ran the 5th fastest time in Division II in the Women's 3000m Steeplechase. The Lady Patriots can also look to Freshmen Lindsay Sanders and Ashley Spivey for depth in 2009 after very successful high school careers.

"Being ranked 3rd in the region and 24th nationally is great, but we know it is just preseason ranking and we must prove ourselves worthy of the honor,"are ready to go out each week and improve," said Head Coach Jacob Phillips, "the work the ladies have done in the past warrants this ranking. Now we have to continue to improve each week as we look to earn a spot at the NCAA Division II National Championships in November."

8/3/2009

The Patriots are returning almost their entire roster for the 2009 cross-country season, including NCAA automatic qualifier Senior Hannah Steffan, NCAA All-Region runners Tabbitha Ashford and Linet Kibet, and NCCAA All-Americans Senior Ashley Alford and Senior Lacey Morrison on the Women's side.  Leading the Men this year will be the same core group that led the Patriots to a second place Heartland Conference finish in 2008.  That group includes Sophomore John Millsap, Junior Kurt Lindsey, Sophomore Zach Morgan, and Junior Ryan Clift.

The Patriots have also added some depth on both sides with several signings for 2009.  The Women added NCAA Automatic Qualifier Laura Mucho from Slippery Rock University, as well as Freshmen Lindsay Sanders from Schoolcraft, Michigan, and Ashley Spivey from Lufkin, Texas.  The men added a slew of freshmen including Texas State Qualifier, Davonta Colflesh.

"We're definitely coming into 2009 better than we started the 2008 season.  Our veterans all set personal bests on the track this past spring and with the new talent we have coming in, we hope to really continue the trend of improving from year to year," said Head Coach Jacob Phillips.

The Patriots will open the season at the Baylor Bear Twilight Cross-Country Invite on September 4, in Waco, Texas, before competing at the Texas A&M University Invitational on September 12.  Both of those meets are highly competitive and will feature nationally ranked NCAA Division I teams.

After competing at Texas A&M, the Patriots will travel to Joplin, Missouri, to compete in the Missouri Southern Stampede.  They will then have three weeks before running the NCAA South Central Pre-Regional Meet hosted by Abilene Christian University. The pre-region meet will serve as a tune-up before the Patriots host the Heartland Conference Championships on October 24.

The Conference Championships will kick off a string of championship competitions including the NCAA South Central Regional Championships in Abilene, Texas, on November 7, followed by the NCCAA National Championships hosted by Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio on November 14, and then the NCAA Championships hosted by Southern Indiana University on November 21.

11/15/2008

The Patriots ended their 2008 Cross Country Season Saturday, November 15 at the NCCAA Cross Country National Championships hosted by Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio .  Running in a wintry mix the NCAA 22nd ranked Lady Patriots, finished runner-up to the NAIA 1st ranked Cedarville University Lady Jackets.  The 2nd place team finish is the highest ever recorded at the National Meet for the Patriots; in 2007, the women finished 4th overall.

Leading the Lady Patriots once again this season was Junior Hannah Steffan; Steffan finished 2nd individually in a time of 18:33 to earn her first Cross Country All-American honor.  Steffan's 2nd place finish is the highest finish for a Patriot individual at the NCCAA Meet.  Following Steffan in her number 2 position was Freshman Linet Kibet in 9th place earning All-American honors.  Sophomore Tabbitha Ashford returning from her strong NCAA Regional performance placed 12th earning her first ever All-American honor.  Rounding out the top 5 finishers was Junior All-American Lacey Morrison; Morrison finished 16th just missing out on her 2nd Cross Country All-American honor, and Sophomore Rachel Oncken in 36th.

"The Women ran the perfect race today," commented head coach Jacob Phillips, "our top 4 girls stayed calm throughout the first 3K of the race and then really turned it on in the last 2K."

The conditions were horrendous with a 38-degree temperature and a wintry mix of rain and snow.  The Patriot women's 2nd place finish earns them All-American honors as a team for the 2nd consecutive season.  The three individual All-American honors are the most the Patriots have acquired in one National Championship race.

Leading the men to a 6th place team finish was Junior Felix Rodriguez.  Rodriguez has been the number one runner for the Patriots all season long and has not been displaced as the Patriots number one runner in 2 seasons.  Rodriguez finished 5th overall to earn his second Cross Country All-American honor.  The men's 6th place finish is one place lower than they finished in 2007 when they placed 5th as a team.  Running well for the Patriot Men and rounding out the scoring was Freshman John Millsap in 37th, Sophomore Ryan Clift in 43rd, Freshman Zach Morgan in 45th, and Senior Eric Wyatt in 76th.

"Felix put his nose in the fight today and ran extremely well in those conditions," said Phillips, "the other guys packed together and raced as a group, and without our 2 and 3 we were still able to finish just one spot lower than we did in 2007. It was a great day to see the work we've put in all season pay off."

"We had a great season and to end today like we did is just great.  The Women will not lose anyone to graduation so we are going to continue to build upon this success and next year will be even better.  Right now we are a very strong team and we have got a great core of returning runners in the Men's and the Women's program.  We will start to see even more improvement during track and again, we plan on carrying that into Cross Country in 2009."

The Patriots now can turn their focus to the 2009 Indoor and Outdoor Track Seasons.

11/13/2008

The Dallas Baptist University Patriots' cross country team travels to Cedarville, Ohio for the NCCAA National Cross Country Championships hosted by Cedarville University on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2008. The Patriots are looking to rebound from their performance at the NCAA South Central Regional Championships on Nov, 8.

"It's a great time to race for us right now," said Head Coach Jacob Phillips, "we know just how fit and race-ready we are, we just have to get out and show that."

The Patriots will be running the same roster that they raced with at the Regional Championships last weekend. Competing for the women will be Juniors Lacey Morrison and Hannah Steffan, Sophomores Tabbitha Ashford, Megan Liss, and Rachel Oncken, and Freshmen Skylor Alford and Linet Kibet.

"This is a very good cross country squad and I truly believe that we are strong 7-deep, we just have to get out and race as a team and not as individuals. If we do that we will be very hard to beat." Phillips said.

Competing for the men will be Senior Eric Wyatt, Junior Felix Rodriguez, Sophomore Ryan Clift and a trio of Freshmen Jordan Koser, John Millsap, and Zach Morgan.

Phillips stated, "Felix has a chance to compete for All-American honors and the other guys are continuing to get great experience at championship caliber meets. We're very excited with the future of this program and this meet this weekend is just one more step to getting to where we need to be."

Last year at the NCCAA Championships the Patriot women placed 4th as a team with Lacey Morrison garnering individual All-American honors; Felix Rodriguez led the men to a 5th place team finish as he earned his first career All-American honor.

"Both squads feel like they've got something to prove. We just need to race smart and be tough, and we'll do very well this weekend." Phillips said.

11/8/2008

The Patriot cross-country team traveled to San Antonio, Texas , on Saturday to compete in the Division II Regional Meet hosted by the University of the Incarnate Word.

The Lady Patriots just missed out on the chance to compete in the Division II National Meet by only 6 points.  The team finished in 4^th place behind Pittsburg State University (3^rd), Midwestern State University (2^nd), and the regional winner Missouri Southern University (1^st). 

"This race was our goal from the day we entered training camp.  Tabbitha Ashford and Skylor Alford ran the races of their lives but it just was not enough to save us today.  This race today falls on me, these ladies will be fine, they work hard, are very talented and they have the desire to succeed.  They'll start with the NCCAA National Championships next Saturday."  Head Coach Jacob Phillips said about the race.

The men's team came up short on Saturday placing 18^th place overall in the region.  Junior Felix Rodriguez finished 16^th place overall in the individual placing, missing out on being recognized for All-Region by 1 place.  The top 15 individuals in each race receive All-Region honors.  "Felix ran a very gutsy race but just came up short at the end today; he has one more shot next year and he will be ready.  As a men's team we have seen what we need to improve on, and will do so to perform up to the level we are capable of." Phillips stated.

Patriot Cross-Country is back in action Saturday, November 15, 2008, as they travel to Cedarville, Ohio , to compete for the NCCAA National Championships.

Women Individual Placing

Tabbitha Ashford - 12th - All-Region

Linet Kibet - 15th - All-Region

Lacey Morrison - 22nd

Hannah Steffan - 23

Skylor Alford - 40th

Men Individual Placing

Felix Rodriguez - 16th place

John Millsap - 91st place

Zach Morgan - 110th

Ryan Clift - 127th

Eric Wyatt - 137th

10/31/2008

With the release of the NCAA Division II Regional Cross Country ranking by the USTFCCCA the Dallas Baptist University Women's Cross Country team remains ranked 2nd in the South Central Region with the Regional Championships on the horizon. The Patriots won their second consecutive Heartland Conference Championship on October 18th on their home course.

The Patriots have been ranked 2nd in the South Central Region for the past 6 weeks; in each of the previous 6 weeks the women from Missouri Southern State University have been ranked atop the region.

"We've had a very good season thus far," commented head coach Jacob Phillips, "but we've had our sights on the Regional Championships from day one and we plan to show up and challenge for the Regional Championship."

The Patriots have the potential for three very big weeks ahead with the Regional Championships on November 8th, the NCCAA National Championships on November 15th, and the possibility of running the NCAA DII National Championships on November 22nd.

Keep up with the Patriots training at www.dbupatriots.blogspot.com