The Wildcat men’s cross-country team will gun for its 19th consecutive Lone Star Conference title at the 2009 LSC Championships on Saturday.
In 1991, George H.W. Bush was in the Oval Office, Terminator 2 was dominating the big screen, and Kirby Puckett was leading the Twins to a World Series title. The United States has had four different presidents since then, a newfound hobby called the Internet has taken off – and the ACU Wildcats have been hammering the competition, winning 18 straight LSC Championships.
Sam Burroughs is in his second season as head coach and will lead a heavily favored ACU team.
“It’s fun to win in any season,” Burroughs said. “But 19 straight – I definitely don’t want to be the coach when the streak ends. Every year, expectations continue to grow around here.”
The Wildcats are again the favorite to win. The Wildcats finished in second place behind Tarleton State two weeks ago, despite running without two of their top runners. National polls actually have Tarleton one place ahead of ACU after their victory, but the odds are still on ACU.
“We can’t just jog and get caught by surprise,” Burroughs said. “The teams we definitely have to be aware of are, first of all, Tarleton State, and also we’ve heard that Eastern New Mexico has a good team and can sneak up on you.”
The Wildcats will run with their full complement of runners for the first time this season. Burroughs expects Amos Sang, Cleophas Tanui and Colby Delbene to finish near the top of the pack at the race. Burroughs said he views Sang as the best runner in the conference, and he says that an individual victory is quite possible for the Kenyan native.
The women’s team is rebuilding this year. The Wildcats will be a completely new team at the championship, with only Lindsey Putnam returning from 2008. French native Chloe Susset continues to be ACU’s most consistent runner. Burroughs said he thinks a top finish is also possible for Susset.
After the LSC race, the teams will have two weeks to prepare for the NCAA Division II regional meet, which will take place at Grover Nelson Park in Abilene. All told, the Wildcats have only four weeks to prepare for the 2009 National Championship at the University of Southern Indiana on Nov. 21.
