Kisorio, Njonjo post top-10 finishes for Eagles in Chile Pepper Festival

Brayden Barrientez finished 70th overall and was OC’s No. 4 runner Saturday in the Chile Pepper Festival.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (Oct. 15, 2011) – Silas Kisorio and Geoffrey Njonjo each finished in the top 10 to lead Oklahoma Christian to a seventh-place team finish Saturday in the Chile Pepper Festival, hosted by the University of Arkansas.

OC, fielding its top runners for the first time since receiving the No. 1 ranking in the NAIA coaches’ poll 10 days ago, finished behind six NCAA Division I teams but well ahead of the NAIA’s No. 2-ranked team, Shorter (Ga.), which placed 15th in the 32-team field.

Oklahoma Christian had a team score of 195, compared to 435 for Shorter. The Eagles’ top four runners finished ahead of Shorter’s top runner.

“I was going to keep an eye on them,” Oklahoma Christian head coach Mark Thompson said of Shorter, “but halfway through the race, I started to realize, ‘I don’t see any Shorter guys up here.’ I’m convinced they’re substantially better than they showed today. … Something was amiss with them. I’ll concede we’re better than they are now but not as much better as we were today.”

Thompson acknowledged having a bit of anxiety entering the race, both because of the No. 1 ranking and a handful of minor injuries and illnesses that had dogged some of the Eagles the past two weeks.

But Njonjo, who dealt with a calf cramp after a workout Tuesday, took the lead for a time Saturday and finished the 10-kilometer race in 29:47.5, his career best on the Chile Pepper course. OC’s No. 3 runner, David McWilliams, overcame lower leg trouble to finish 56th in 31:05.2. Thompson said McWilliams “is starting to show he might be All-American caliber.”

Kisorio ran with the lead pack most of the race and finished fifth in 29:26.5, also a personal best on the course. Cam Levins of Southern Utah won individual honors with a 29:13.8 time.

“Silas took care of business today,” Thompson said. “Geoffrey was remarkable. Between three to four miles, Geoffrey made a move and took the lead for a while, similar to what Silas did at (Oklahoma State). They eventually reeled him in, but it was exciting to see Geoffrey stick his nose in there and mix it up.”

Noting that Njonjo set OC’s school record in the 10 kilometers in track last year at 29:29, Thompson said Njonjo and Kisorio “are running faster than they ever did.”

Brayden Barrientez ran fourth for the Eagles in 31:20.2 while Nathan Mesta was OC’s No. 5 runner, finishing in 31:54.03. Freshman Roberto Diaz wasn’t far behind, posting a time of 32:00.4.

In the women’s 6-kilometer race, Melyssa Cardenas led OC, finishing 172nd in 23:52.9. The Lady Eagles’ four other runners all finished less than a minute behind her – Erin Sesemann (182nd in 24:07.4), Jacqueline Hallam (202nd in 24:34.5), Noemi Hernandez (216th in 24:46.7) and Cady Block (220th in 24:50.9). OC finished 28th in the 34-team field.

“Melyssa had a very good race and Erin is finally coming back to full strength,” Thompson said. “Cady Block had another consistent effort, which we’ve come to expect of her. Jacq and Noemi weren’t at the top of their games today, but they didn’t have particularly bad efforts.”

Both teams will be off until Nov. 5, when they race in the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships in Shawnee. Thompson thinks the extended rest will be good to allow nagging injuries to heal and give runners time to recover from fatigue.

“I feel good about where the guys are and in the way they train and take care of themselves,” Thompson said. “We’re still trying to get the women healthy. I think we’ll be a better team taking this time off.”

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