Texas A&M
NCAA Championships (indiv.)
Sauvageau improves time on NCAA Championship course
Nov 23, 2009 | Track and Field
Nov. 23, 2009
Terre Haute, Indiana - With the final collegiate cross country meet of the season being run under ideal conditions on a dedicated course, Texas A&M senior Joe Sauvageau placed 131st with a time of 31:13.6 over 10,000 meters at the NCAA Championships Monday on the LaVern Gibson Championship Course.
With a field size of 255 runners, of which 250 completed the challenging course, Sauvageau's effort placed him in the middle of the pack. Splits for Sauvageau through the race included 8:53 for 3,000 meters, 15:17 at the halfway point and 24:53 for 8,000 meters.
Last year, finishing as the fifth runner for the A&M team that qualified for the NCAA Championships, Sauvageau ran 31:42 to place 192nd on the same course.
The men's individual winner was Samuel Chelanga of Liberty, runner-up last season, who set a course record of 28:41.3. Runner-up in the race was Northern Arizona's David McNeill in 29:06.5 with Stanford's Chris Derrick placing third in 29:14.8.
Oklahoma State totaled 127 points for the team title to finish ahead of defending champion Oregon's 143. Alabama placed third with 173 points.
Other Big 12 teams in the field included Colorado placing sixth with 315 points followed by Oklahoma in 12th (386), Iowa State 16th (430), and Texas in a tie for 28th (605). South Central team champion Arkansas finished 25th with 535 points.
In the women's field individual favorite Jenny Barringer of Colorado collapsed during the race and eventually finished 163rd (21:46.9). Angela Bizzarri of Illinois claimed the victory with a time of 19:46.8 over the 6,000-meter course with Washington's Kendra Schaaf placing second at 19:51.6 while Florida State's Susan Kuijken finished third in 19:57.7.
Villanova captured the women's team title with a score of 86 points, placing its five scoring runners among the top 30 finishers. Florida State finished as the team runner-up with 133 points while defending champion Washington placed third with 188.
The top Big 12 team in the field was Texas Tech at fourth with 191 points. Iowa State finished 17th (446), Colorado placed 20th (458), and Baylor was 28th (666). South Central team champion SMU placed 25th with 581 points.
