Nov. 20, 2006

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - In cold and wet conditions, three Lamar University athletes took on the top runners in the country at the 2006 NCAA Cross Country National Championship at the LaVerne Gibson Championship Cross Country Course in Terre Haute, Ind.

Freshman Francis Kasagule and sophomore Samuel Kosgei made their NCAA debut for the Cardinal men on Monday, while sophomore Renee Graham ran at the championships for the second time in the women's race.

Kasagule, a native of Gayhza, Uganda, earned All-American honors as he led the way for the two Lamar men with a 29th place finish. He ran the 10,000 meter course in a time of 31:34.9 to earn All-American honors.

Kosgei, a native of Kapchorwa, Uganda, ran to a 55th place finish, posting a time of 32:01.0.

"The course conditions were really sloppy because it has rained five inches in the last four days here," Lamar head coach Trey Clark said. "Francis was very relaxed out there, and he ran a very good race. Both Francis and Sammy were in the top 30 midway through the race before Sammy developed a stitch in his side and fell back a little."

Graham, a native of Hawera, New Zealand, ran to a 126th place finish in the women's competition in a time of 22:20.7. The 126th place finish is 28 spots better than her 154th place finish at the 2005 championship.

"Renee ran a good race today," Clark said. "She got out really good the first 1,000 meters but had a little trouble between 2,000 and 3,000 meters when the field made a move. She improved on her finish from last year and any time you can do that it's a good thing."

Clark said the experience the three runners have gained by participating in the NCAA Championships will be a valuable asset in the future.

"This has been a good season for us, and the NCAA Championship meet is icing on the cake," he said. "This is the level we want our entire team to compete at and we now have people that know exactly what it takes. These three know the amount of preparation it takes to get to this level and can relate it to the entire team."