LAWTON, Oklahoma (May 23) – Things are continuing to look great for the Cameron cross country team after they secured arguably the most talented recruiting class in the entire country this week. Head Coach Matt Aguero today added seven more runners to his already impressive 2007-2008 squad. David Cheromei, Garret Hofman, Mubashar Haidat, Mustinsar Haidat, Juan Ruiz, Aaron Hibbitts, and Casey Kreger are all new signees who will all run for CU this fall.
“All of these guys can come in and make a huge impact and will push the guys we have already,” Coach Aguero said. “They don’t rank recruiting classes in cross country like they do in football, but if they did this one would be right at the top.”
Three signees are transferring to Cameron from Virginia Intermont College, where Coach Aguero used to coach. David Cheromei ran under Coach Aguero while at VIC, where the men’s cross country program was recently dropped.
Cheromei is originally from Eldoret, Kenya and will be a junior this fall. He has already won an astounding ten individual NAIA National Championships in track and field. Additionally, Cheromei is an NAIA Individual Cross Country National Champion and a two-time Team Champion. He is the cousin of Olympic Champion and marathon World Record holder Paul Tegat, and the brother of Lydia Cheromei who is ranked 2nd in the world in the half marathon.
“David is arguably the best runner I have ever seen or coached,” Coach Aguero said. “He is amazing and will be huge for us. He will give us the best shot of defeating Abilene Christian and Nicodemus (Naimadu).”
Abilene Christian University has one of the top men’s cross country programs in the country thanks in large part to their All-American runner Nicodemus Naimadu.
Garret Hofmann is another new Aggie who will be joining the team next fall as a freshman. He comes to CU from Altus (Oklahoma) High School where he was named to the All-State Team. He also placed 2nd in the 3200 meter relay race at the conference meet.
“Garret is a local kid who is a very talented runner,” Coach Aguero said. “He had an injury (knee) last season, but I expect some big things from him now that he is healthy.”
Mubashar Haidat, another Virginia Intermont College transfer, comes to Lawton from Alexandria, Virginia. In high school, Haidat was named his team’s captain and led his school to their first ever district championship. He was also named to the All-Conference team.
While at VIC, Haidat was a NAIA National Qualifier in the marathon. He will come to Cameron next fall as a sophomore.
“I had the privilege of coaching Mubashar’s All-American older brother while I was an assistant at VIC,” Coach Aguero said. “I think Mubashar has the same potential as his older brother and I expect him to make a big impact.”
Mustinsar Haidat, Mubashar’s younger brother, is also coming to Lawton from Alexandria. He comes to Cameron directly from Jeb Stewart (Virginia) High School where he was a state meet qualifier after finishing 5th at the district meet. He will be a freshman next fall.
“Mustinsar was able to do some great things in high school,” Coach Aguero said. “When you ask his two older brothers about him, they say he is the most talented of the three. I am really excited to have the chance to coach all three brothers.”
Juan Ruiz is another Aggie runner who will be new to CU this fall, and comes from Nimitz (Texas) High School. He will be coming to Cameron as a freshman from Houston, Texas. While competing for NHS at the District 19-5A track meet, Ruiz placed 2nd in the 3200 meter race and 3rd in the 1600 meter race. His finish in the 3200 meter race was good enough to make him a regional qualifier. Ruiz also finished 2nd at the District 19-5A cross country meet.
“Juan is a talented freshman who really came on great at the end of his high school track season,” Coach Aguero said. “I expect really big things out of this kid; he will be a star.”
The only other new Aggie signee to hail from the Lone Star State is Aaron Hibbitts, who is from Amarillo, Texas where he attended Randell High School. He will also be a freshman coming into next season. While at RHS, Hibbitts placed 4th at the 2006 District 3-4A Cross Country Championships and 2nd at the 2007 District 3-4A Track Championships in both the 3200 and 1600 meter races.
“Aaron has done great things in both his cross country and track seasons,” Coach Aguero said. “I expect a lot of big things out of him. If he can put in the training he will do some great things for us.”
The final recruit added to next year’s squad is Casey Kreger who is also a transfer from Virginia Intermont College. He will be a junior next season. While at VIC, Kreger amassed a number of accolades including 2004 and 2005 Central District Indoor track 1000 meter Champion, 2004 Central District Outdoor track 800 meter champion, 2005 Indoor track Central District 4x400 meter relay Champion, and 2004 AAU summer track 1500 and 800 meter state champion. Additionally, Kreger was part of the 2005 and 2006 NAIA National Championship teams.
Kreger, who was born in Chickasha, was also named to the All-Central District Cross Country team in 2002, 2003, and 2004, and was an indoor track All-American in 2006 and 2007. His talents extend into the classroom as he was named to the All Academic teams in cross country, as well as both indoor and outdoor track from 2002-2005. He was also named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll at VIC in 2005-2006.
“Casey had an outstanding high school career and was an all-American at VIC,” Coach Aguero said. “He has amazing speed and if he can work on his endurance he will be a fabulous cross country runner.”
Although Coach Aguero plans to add a few more runners before the start of the 2007-2008 season, he is ecstatic about the runners he has now.
“Anytime you add a guy like (David) Cheromei in addition to two other All-Americans, it will have a huge, huge impact,” Coach Aguero said. “I am super excited about next year because we will do some great things. We are very young so the sky is the limit. I expect us to compete and possibly send a whole team to the national meet.”