Three ENMU Cross Country Runners Qualify for LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll
PORTALES, N.M. — Eastern New Mexico University has placed three cross country athletes on the 2005 Lone Star Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Eastern’s selections to the Honor Roll were Kennedy Baiywo (So., Eldoret, Kenya/Samoei Secondary School) from the men’s team and women’s runners Lynnae Chavez (Sr., Cimmaron, NM/Cimmaron HS) and Miranda Vaca (So., Clovis, NM/Clovis HS). A total of eight men and 20 women qualified for the LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, with five men and five women selected for their respective LSC All-Academic Teams. None of the All-Academic selections were from ENMU this year.

The LSC sports information directors chose runners for the All-Academic Teams based upon achievements in academics and athletics. In order to be considered, athletes had to maintain at least a 3.20 grade point average (4.0 scale), while completing 24 or more semester hours at their current institutions and reaching sophomore athletic status. All qualifying student-athletes were named to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll and were eligible for the All-Academic Teams.

LSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll

Baiywo placed 16th at the Buffalo Stampede at West Texas A&M University and was 21st at the South Plains College Cross Country Festival. He finished in 42nd place at the LSC Cross Country Championships. Baiwyo has a 3.51 GPA. He is majoring in Biology.

Chavez recorded an 18th-place finish at the Buffalo Stampede. She was 41st at the New Mexico State University’s Kachina Classic and claimed 17th place (12th among scorers) at the South Plains meet. She took 53rd place (52nd among scorers) at the LSC Championships. Chavez received Eastern’s Mike Boit Award in 2004-05, as the top cross country runner for the Zias a year ago. She is majoring in Biology and owns a 3.21 GPA.

Vaca started the season by finishing 24th at the Buffalo Stampede. She completed the course at the Kachina Classic in 48th place. She took 22nd place (17th among scorers) at the South Plains Cross Country Festival and was 56th at the LSC Championships. Vaca has earned a 3.55 GPA, while majoring in Mathematics at ENMU.

ENMU, in its second season under Head Coach Joel McMullen, achieved fourth place in the men’s division at the LSC Championships and earned seventh place in the LSC in the women’s division. Eastern’s men won the New Mexico Highlands Cowboy Jamboree and the South Plains Cross Country Festival and finished in second place in the team standings at the Buffalo Stampede. The Greyhounds placed eighth at the NCAA South Central Regional. The ENMU women’s team claimed 16th place at the NCAA Regional. The Zias were third at the Buffalo Stampede, the NMHU Cowboy Jamboree and the South Plains Cross Country Festival.