Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Saturday, September 16
Nashville, Tenn.
9 AM
Middle Tennessee
at
Commodore Classic
Cross Country Riding High into Commodore Classic
9/15/2017 12:43:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – After a week of rest, the Middle Tennessee cross country teams will be back in action Saturday just up the road from Murfreesboro in Nashville. The Raiders will compete in the Commodore Classic hosted by Vanderbilt, with the men running the 8k at 9 a.m. and the women running the 5k at 10 a.m. The meet will be taking place at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.
The Blue Raider men's team enters the weekend on a high after recently rising to the No. 19 spot in the nation and No. 1 in the South Region rankings by the USTFCCCA.
The ranking came after Middle Tennessee exploded in its season-opening meet on Sept. 2. The Blue Raiders took four of the top five places and their fifth man came home 14th to give them the Brooks Twilight Classic championship for the second season in a row.
Kigen Chemadi and Jacob Choge went one-two for MT in Memphis, and Chemadi was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the week on Sept. 5 after covering the 8k course in 19:46.26, pacing 4:56.6 per mile. They were the only two runners to complete the course in under 20 minutes.
"That was a great honor," head coach Dean Hayes said, "because we've never had anybody be a national athlete of the week before. It was one of the featured races in the U.S. for that day … and he really did a good job.
"They just got into a sprint at the end, and Kigen probably has a little more sprint speed than Jacob has. They make a great 1-2 … they'll both be tough, there's no doubt about it."
Chemadi and Choge are the leaders of five returning runners from last year's team that earned the first NCAA Championships bid in school history. Choge was the first Blue Raider to ever be named an All-American after a 40th-place finish at nationals.
"Of course, the big thing is getting five back from last year when we were already in the NCAA and second in the conference," Hayes said. "They've really worked hard and they've really done a good job this summer, because they knew we had a chance to have a good year. So much of running is their willingness to work … and they do a great job on their own."
The two will race some of the top competition in the country this weekend at the Commodore Classic, and will look to improve upon their second- and eighth-place finishes from the meet a year ago.
The men's team won the 2016 Commodore Classic and are looking for a repeat this weekend.
"There will be a lot of teams there and individuals that will hopefully test us," Hayes said. "That will give us a chance to see what we can do and get challenged."
On the women's side, the Raiders are coming off a third-place finish at the Brooks Twilight Classic and are looking to carry that momentum into the Commodore Classic.
Rachel Kigen placed third in the first meet of the season and looks strong heading into the Commodore Classic this weekend after a personal-best 18:12.2 5K in Memphis.
MT finished 12th at the meet last season, with Agnes Abu being the top returning finisher. She was the second Blue Raider to cross the line in their first meet this season with a time of 18:27.8.
"They've been running well and they've worked hard," Hayes said. "Rachel has really come on very well since she ran track last year.
"We've just got to get a fifth in there, and if we can get one to come around we'll be right there."
Middle Tennessee can make another early-season statement with a strong showing this weekend. It's a meet they've historically fared very well at, so look for another big Blue Raider weekend on the course.
The Blue Raider men's team enters the weekend on a high after recently rising to the No. 19 spot in the nation and No. 1 in the South Region rankings by the USTFCCCA.
The ranking came after Middle Tennessee exploded in its season-opening meet on Sept. 2. The Blue Raiders took four of the top five places and their fifth man came home 14th to give them the Brooks Twilight Classic championship for the second season in a row.
Kigen Chemadi and Jacob Choge went one-two for MT in Memphis, and Chemadi was named the USTFCCCA National Athlete of the week on Sept. 5 after covering the 8k course in 19:46.26, pacing 4:56.6 per mile. They were the only two runners to complete the course in under 20 minutes.
"That was a great honor," head coach Dean Hayes said, "because we've never had anybody be a national athlete of the week before. It was one of the featured races in the U.S. for that day … and he really did a good job.
"They just got into a sprint at the end, and Kigen probably has a little more sprint speed than Jacob has. They make a great 1-2 … they'll both be tough, there's no doubt about it."
Chemadi and Choge are the leaders of five returning runners from last year's team that earned the first NCAA Championships bid in school history. Choge was the first Blue Raider to ever be named an All-American after a 40th-place finish at nationals.
"Of course, the big thing is getting five back from last year when we were already in the NCAA and second in the conference," Hayes said. "They've really worked hard and they've really done a good job this summer, because they knew we had a chance to have a good year. So much of running is their willingness to work … and they do a great job on their own."
The two will race some of the top competition in the country this weekend at the Commodore Classic, and will look to improve upon their second- and eighth-place finishes from the meet a year ago.
The men's team won the 2016 Commodore Classic and are looking for a repeat this weekend.
"There will be a lot of teams there and individuals that will hopefully test us," Hayes said. "That will give us a chance to see what we can do and get challenged."
On the women's side, the Raiders are coming off a third-place finish at the Brooks Twilight Classic and are looking to carry that momentum into the Commodore Classic.
Rachel Kigen placed third in the first meet of the season and looks strong heading into the Commodore Classic this weekend after a personal-best 18:12.2 5K in Memphis.
MT finished 12th at the meet last season, with Agnes Abu being the top returning finisher. She was the second Blue Raider to cross the line in their first meet this season with a time of 18:27.8.
"They've been running well and they've worked hard," Hayes said. "Rachel has really come on very well since she ran track last year.
"We've just got to get a fifth in there, and if we can get one to come around we'll be right there."
Middle Tennessee can make another early-season statement with a strong showing this weekend. It's a meet they've historically fared very well at, so look for another big Blue Raider weekend on the course.
Players Mentioned
XC/Dist.
/ Track & Field/Cross Country
XC/Dist.
/ Track & Field/Cross Country
XC
/ Track & Field/Cross Country
XC/Dist.
/ Track & Field/Cross CountryMTSU Football at Nevada highlights – 9/13/25
Sunday, September 14
MTSU Football Postgame Press Conference @ Nevada on 09-13-25
Sunday, September 14
Raider Report Week 3 - MTSU vs. University of Nevada
Friday, September 12
Derek Mason LIVE: Presented by The Boulevard Bar & Grille Week 3
Wednesday, September 10
