LCU Chaps Men's Cross Country

The Best of Times

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 12:32:00 -0600

VANCOUVER, Wash. (November 19, 2011) - Lubbock Christian University had a pair of runners compete in the 2011 NAIA National Championships at Fort Vancouver National Historic Site and Izzy Miranda completed the event in 49^th place to complete the 2011 running season Saturday. Miranda, a junior making his third appearance at the NAIA Championships, ran his best time at the championships and it was a minute better than his time from last season. He completed the 8k event in a time of 25:12. Also finishing with a personal best time was David Sambrano, who was in 104^th place. He finished 35 seconds behind Miranda with a time of 25:47. "Both had great races and it was such an incredible field this year," said LCU cross country head coach Derek Kite. "I am also proud the Sooner Athletic Conference showed its depth. LCU finished fourth at the SAC Championships and the teams that finished ahead of them finished in the top seven of the NAIA Championships, including first place Oklahoma Christian." Oklahoma Christian claimed the national crown, with Wayland Baptist finishing fifth and Oklahoma Baptist finishing seventh. There were 312 runners in the field and Kennedy Kithuka of Wayland Baptist easily won the event with a time of 23:15. Three of the four top runners were representing SAC programs.

Two Headed to NAIA Nationals

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 18:21:00 -0600

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (November 8, 2011) - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) released the team and individual qualifiers for the 2011 NAIA Men's Cross Country National Championships. The 56th Annual event will take place at the Fort Vancouver National Historic Site in Vancouver, Wash., on Nov. 19. The men’s 8K championship race will start at 10:30 a.m. PST, and it will include Izzy Miranda and David Sambrano of Lubbock Christian University.  Miranda, a junior from Clovis, N.M., qualified by his tenth place finish at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships. Sambrano, a sophomore from El Paso, was invited after the final ratings were produced following conference runs across the country. Miranda will make his third trip to nationals and Sambrano will be making his national debut.    The 32-team men's field features 21 conference/independent/unaffiliated group champions, one conference/independent/unaffiliated group runner-up and nine at-large selections. Concordia (Ore.) received a host berth to the event. There are also 100 individual qualifiers.

Chaps Finish Fourth in SAC

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:18:00 -0500

SHAWNEE, Okla. (November 5, 2011) - Izzy Miranda earned his third trip to the NAIA National Championships by finishing 10^th at the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships, and he led his team to a fourth place finish at the event. Miranda may have company on his trip to nationals, as the NAIA will release the team qualifiers this week and it could allow for additional individual qualifiers based on their performance at the conference championship event. The 10^th place finish for Miranda came at a time of 25:51. David Sambrano was 15^th with a time of 26:05. Trey Bale also finished in the top-30 for LCU with a completion time of 26:52. Also competing for LCU was Carsten Russell (36^th,27:22), Lucas Morris (53^rd, 28:15), Matt Rodriguez (60^th, 28:50), and Jordan Wilson (64^th, 29:13). LCU completed the race with an average finish of 26:53. Oklahoma Christian University won the event with an average time of 24:59. The race was won by Kennedy Kethuka, who completed the 8k event in a time of 23:29.

Chaps Finish Sixth

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 00:26:00 -0500

WINFIELD, Kan. (October 22, 2011) - The Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals cross country team competed against 20 teams at the NAIA Mid-States Classic, hosted by Southwestern College, and finished sixth in the team standings.

The Chaps were led by Izzy Miranda, who finished with a time of 25:09 for a tenth place finish. David Sambrano (25:52, 18^th) and Trey Bale (26:09, 27^th) each had top-30 finishes for the Chaps. Carsten Russell (26:58, 53^rd) and Lucas Morris (27:08, 61^st) had top-100 finishes. Also competing for LCU was Matt Rodriguez (28:53, 123^rd) and Jordan Wilson (29:32, 146^th).

Kennedy Kethuka of Wayland Baptist University won the event, topping the field of 209 runners with a time of 23:17. With three runners in the top-14, Oklahoma Baptist University won the event.

Chaps Place Third at SPC

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 11:44:00 -0500

LEVELLAND, Texas (October 10, 2011) - Lubbock Christian University men's cross country runners Izzy Miranda finished in fourth place and Trey Bale finished ninth at the South Plains College Collegiate Cross Country Festival. The Chaps finished third as a team in the 8k run. Miranda completed the event in a time of 25:13 to lead the Chaps. Bale was 47 seconds behind Miranda with a time of 26:00 for ninth place. David Sambrano finished 13^th for the Chaps with a time of 26:45. Also finishing in the top-20 for LCU was Carsten Russell (27:19, 18^th) and Lucas Morris (27:37, 19^th). Matt Sambrano (28:35, 24th) and Jordan Wilson (29:20, 30^th) also competed for LCU. Kennedy Kithuka of Wayland Baptist University won the event with a time of 23:43 among the field of 36. WBU won the team title with an average finish of 25:18. The Chaps average finish was 26:35.

Results Changed, Chaps Eighth

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 15:38:00 -0500

STILLWATER, Okla. (October 3, 2011) - It was the race no one knew he finished. In the 75^th edition of the Annual Cowboy Jamboree hosted by Oklahoma State University Saturday, Lubbock Christian University cross country runner Izzy Miranda finished in eight place, but the result went unnoticed and never was reported in the official results. Each runner runs with a computer chip and the chip Miranda used malfunctioned and did not log his time. Head coach Derek Kite filed the issue with the race coordinators and Monday morning the results were updated and corrected and Miranda was placed with an eighth place finish and the Chaps original 11^th place finish was changed to an eighth place finish among the 25 teams. Miranda completed the event in a time of 25:52. He finished third among NAIA runners and was the top runner of the 33 runners representing Sooner Athletic Conference squads. Along with Miranda’s finish, the Chaps were impressed with the finish by David Sambrano, who was 29 seconds behind Miranda (26:21) in 17^th place. Trey Bale also had a top-50 finish with a time of 26:48 to finish in 33^rd. Carsten Russell (81^st, 28:15) and Lucas Morris (84^th, 28:17) also figured into the team scoring. Also competing for LCU was Matthew Rodriguez (107^th, 29:02) and Jordan Wilson (126^th, 30:13). The Chaps finished with an average time of 27:07, which was the top finish among five SAC teams competing. New Mexico Highlands won the team event with a 26:03 average time. Hillary Kirwa of Cameron University won the individual title outrunning 164 runners with a time of 25:00.

Chaps Finish Third in OKC

Sat, 24 Sep 2011 16:28:00 -0500

OKLAHOMA CITY (September 24, 2011) - Three races and three top-five finishes for Izzy Miranda, as he finished fourth in the Oklahoma City Fall Invitation Saturday and the Chaps cross country runners finished third as a team. Miranda, who has a first and second place finish on his record this season, finished the race in a time of 26:06. He was 51-seconds behind the winner Geoffrey Njonjo of Oklahoma Christian. The Chaparrals had three runners finish in the top-20. Trey Bale finished 15^th in a time of 27:46 and David Sambrano was nine seconds behind him in 17^th place. Carsten Russell was not far behind with a 23^rd place finish in a time of 28:49. Also running for the Chaps was Lucas Marris (29:45, 29th), Matt Rodrigues (30:00, 30^th) and Jordan Wilson (30:57, 35^th). Eight teams competed in the run and the Chaps placed third. Oklahoma Christian won the event with six runners finishing in the top nine spots. LCU finished second out of five Sooner Athletic Conference squads that ran in the event.

Strong Finish

Sat, 17 Sep 2011 09:24:00 -0500

LUBBOCK, Texas (September 17, 2011) - Izzie Miranda had a remarkable finish at the Texas Tech Open to claim second place and the Lubbock Christian University men's cross country squad finished seventh Friday at the 8k run at Meadowbrook Golf Course. Miranda passed four runners in the final 100 meters of the race to claim second place for his second solid finish of the season. He won the Chaps season-opening event last week at McMurry. Miranda finished with a time of 25:54. Trent Bale also finished in the top-20 for LCU finishing in 19^th (26:58). Also competing for the Chaps was David Sambrano (27:49, 34^th), Carsten Russell (28:39, 55^th), Lucas Morris (28:53, 62^nd), Matt Rodriguez (30:14, 81^st) and Jordan Wilson (31:16 87^th). Kemoy Campbell of South Plains College won the event with a time of 24:42. New Mexico Highlands University won the team scoring with a average finishing time of 26:09. The Chaps average finish was 27:38 in the 11-team field. They were the lone NAIA program running in the field.

Chaps Open With Event Victory

Sat, 10 Sep 2011 20:40:00 -0500

ABILENE, Texas (September 10, 2011) - For a third consecutive season, Izzie Miranda of Lubbock Christian University crossed the finish line in first place of the Billy Libby Invitational hosted by McMurry University at Nelson Park, and this season LCU won the men's cross country event. The race opened up the running season for LCU and it was their first run since former LCU All-American Derek Kite has taken over as the program's head coach. Miranda finished pulling away with a time of 25:47 and was joined by a pair of teammates. David Sambrano (26:38) and Trey Bale (26:47) finished second and third to provide LCU with the top three finishers. Lucas Morris (28:00) finished 10^th to give LCU four finishers in the top-10. Also competing for LCU was Carsten Russell (28:14, 14^th), Matt Rodriguez (29:33, 22^nd) and Jordan Wilson (30:20, 28^th). Forty individuals from six different universities competed in the 8k event, with four programs competing for team points. LCU won the event with an average time of 27:05, finishing a full minute average ahead of University of Texas - Permian Basin (28:05). LCU will next run Friday at the Texas Tech Invitational at Meadowbrook Golf Course in Lubbock.

Kite Named LCU X-Country Coach

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 12:50:00 -0600

LUBBOCK, Texas (February 24, 2011) – Lubbock Christian University athletic director Paul Hise announced that 2006 Lubbock Christian University Hall of Honor inductee Derek Kite will return to his alma mater and take over as the head coach for the Chaparrals and Lady Chaparrals cross country programs. He replaces Clyde Neff, who will continue with the university in his role as Associate Professor of Business, where he has been asked to take a more active role in the new personal finance planning program.

“I appreciate the job Coach Neff has done over the last five years with the cross country program,” said Hise. “He was able to reinstate the program and build a foundation for future success… even with limited resources. We are excited about Derek Kite returning to Lubbock to lead our cross country program. Derek was an outstanding student-athlete and tremendous competitor while at LCU. His experience as an elite athlete and coach over the last 15 years will be a huge asset as he takes our cross country program to the next level. Derek will not only be able to give our student-athletes an incredible amount of knowledge and training, but will also be a great Christian example for them as well. We are very glad to welcome he and his wife Valerie and their two children back into the LCU Athletic family.”

Derek Kite, a collegiate standout and former professional runner, joins the LCU Athletic Department from York College (Neb.), where he served as the head men’s and women’s track and cross country coach since the 2009-10 season.

“I am very excited for the opportunity to be back at LCU,” said Kite. “Coach Neff has done an incredible job reinstating the cross country program and I hope to continue with that recent success. I can't wait to begin working with Paul (Hise) and the rest of the coaching staff to help solidify the Chaparral distance running tradition.”

A two-time Olympic Trials competitor in the 3,000-meter Steeplechase (competing in both 1996 and 2000), Kite was the 2003 USAT Rookie Duathlete of the Year (running/cycling) and ranked No.1 in the nation. He competed in several Duathlon World Championships and finished as a three-time top-American finisher and was sixth overall at the 2007 World Championships in Hungary. Kite also competed in numerous triathlons as a professional (running/cycling/swimming), winning five in 2003.

Kite enjoyed an illustrious high school career in California where he won state in the mile (4:13) in 1990 and was on the No.1 ranked cross country team in the nation. Running for Lubbock Christian University, he was part of a four-time National Championship Cross Country Team and turned in the fourth best time in nationals his senior year. He earned 14 All-American honors at LCU including the Indoor three-mile National Champion and the Outdoor 3,000-meter Steeplechase National Champion in 1994. In 2006, he was inducted into the LCU Hall of Fame.

After earning his B.S. degree in Biology at LCU, Kite coached the men's cross country team at Pepperdine University for 3 seasons (1995-1997). He and his wife Valerie have two young children, Jacob and Shealyn. He will begin his recruiting efforts immediately and will join the Chaps staff in July.

Neff had coached the LCU men's and women's cross country programs since the program was reinstated in 2006. He served the role on a part time basis, splitting the time as a business professor for the university. During his time at LCU, Neff led eight runners to the NAIA National Championships. The South Plains College and NJCAA Hall of Fame inductee also oversaw three NAIA All-Scholar Teams (2007 men's and women's, 2010 women's), 14 all-conference selections and one All-American.

The move with Kite joining the department allows Kite to serve as a full-time coach with the program, as they expand scholarships to strengthen the program. The Lubbock Christian University cross country program has had recent success with both the men’s and women’s programs each qualifying runners to the NAIA Championships over the past three seasons. The Chaps have a storied history within the NAIA. From 1990-1997, the men’s cross country program claimed eight consecutive NAIA National Championship titles. In 2001, the NAIA inducted former cross country head coach Darrell Price into the NAIA Hall of Fame. LCU has produced 48 NAIA All-Americans, with 46 representing the men’s program. Success has extended outside the college career of several LCU runners. Former LCU runners have competed in several marathons, and former runner and LCU Hall of Honor member Mbarak Hussein has used his running ability to star in national commercial spots for Subway Sandwiches.