Prickly Pear, Yearbook of Abilene Christian University, 2002 Page: 109
303 p. : ill. ; 32 cm.View a full description of this yearbook.
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99
However, when the dust had settled on the 2001
Championship race, the Wildcats found themselves suffering
a severe case of deja vu, as they were forced to play
second fiddle to the Mountaineers for the second consecutive
season. ACU placed only two runners in the top ten,
with Rugema finishing seventh and Ndukimana eighth.
Meanwhile, Kemboi would finish a disappointing 20th in
the race, sealing ACU's second place position.
"We didn't do as well in the race as we could have,"
Murray said. "As far as talent goes our guys were capable
of winning the championship, but Western State just ran a
better race than we did."
For the men, the season's conclusion proved bittersweet.
Though disappointed at coming up short in their
final race for the second straight year, the runners could
still take pride in their performance as they solidified
ACU's position as one of the two premier men's cross
country programs in Division II.
Meanwhile, for the women's cross country program,
2001 was another rebuilding year, as Murray continued
his efforts to build a program capable of enjoying the
same kind of success as his men's team. And even though
the women failed to advance to nationals as a team, one of
Murray's freshmen, Cassie Chaffin, did qualify for the
race as an individual, finishing 55th in the field."Getting to go to nationals as a freshman was great for
Cassie," Murray said. "Hopefully our program will continue
to grow, and we'll continue to add runners to the
team that can help us compete and be successful on a
national level."
With their seasons concluded, both the men's and
women's programs were left wanting more. For the men's
program, the off-season would provide time to ponder
what might have been while giving the men the opportunity
to train even harder for the next fall's competition.
Meanwhile, on the women's side, Murray would continue
the rebuilding process, working to mold a women's team
that could one day compete for a national championship.
And one could be sure that the ACU campus would continue
to enjoy the sight of some of Division II's best athletes
putting in the practice necessary to reach the pinnacle
of their sport.
-Patrick BuhrmannOpposite page: Cassie Chaffin, a freshman
from Amarillo, iooks to pass the runner
ahead of her.
Right: ACU cross country runners keep
up with the main group of cross country
runners. photo by Brady Lane
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Abilene Christian University. Prickly Pear, Yearbook of Abilene Christian University, 2002, yearbook, 2002; Dallas, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth39886/m1/112/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Abilene Christian University Library.