Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Middle Tennessee
Conference USA
Men Win C-USA Title, Choge Repeats as Champion
10/28/2017 12:11:00 PM | Track & Field/Cross Country
Women finish sixth
CLINTON, Miss. – For the first time in program history, the No. 25 Middle Tennessee men's cross country team won the C-USA Cross Country Championships on Saturday morning. The squad was led by Jacob Choge's second individual C-USA Cross Country crown.
The league's coaches voted Associate Head Coach Keith Vroman as the men's Coach of the Year following the Blue Raider's successful four-meet wins this year.
Sampson Laari was named as the meet's Outstanding Senior, as he was the top senior finisher at the event, finishing in fifth.
Middle edged Charlotte to win the meet, 30 points to 38 points, overtaking the 49ers in the second half of the race. Choge (23:54.7) and Chemadi (23:57.5) finished one-two and just three seconds apart at the top of the pack. Laari (24:27.3) came in fifth with Amos Cheruiyot (24:53.1) and Geoffry Cheruiyot (24:54.7) finishing back-to-back in 11th and 12th.
Charlotte's first four runners all finished in the top 8 but the Cheruiyot's performances sealed the win for MT as the 49ers final runner came in 18th.
This puts Choge, Chemadi and Laari on the All-Conference First Team and A. Cheruiyot and G. Cheruiyot on the All-Conference Second Team.
The women's team earned a sixth-place finish at the C-USA Cross Country Championships. The team was led by Rachel Kigen's 14th place finish (17:53.0). She finished just two seconds off her personal-best, which was achieved earlier this season and the placing lands her on the All-Conference Second Team.
Julia Jelaget finished one spot away from an All-Conference Third Team honor in 22nd place (18:11.6). The remainder of the Blue Raider women all finished in top 45 in the over 100 runner field. Sharon Kibiwott (18:26.2) and Gladys Kipchumba (18:45.6) each ran their personal-bests to finish in 33rd and 43rd, respectively. Agnes Abu (18:37.0) ran to a 39th place finish for Middle.
The Charlotte women took the team title at the meet, finishing with 64 points. The 49ers were led by Caroline Sang's (16:27.9) first place overall finish. She bested UTEP's Winny Koech by over 10 seconds for the championship. Sang finished second to Koech in the 2016 event.
NOTABLE
- This is the Blue Raider cross country team's third team title in program history. The squad had one in the OVC, one in the Sun Belt and now one in C-USA
- Choge also finished in 23:54 in the 2016 C-USA Championships to win his first title
- Chemadi's sub-24 clip is a personal-best as a Blue Raider
- Freshman Kipchumba improved her 5k time by over a minute from her first Blue Raider race in early September
- Freshman Kibiwott improved her 5k time by over one minute from her last 5k race at the Greater Louisville Classic
QUOTABLE
"It was great for the men to win their first C-USA title. Jacob Choge ran well and was able to defend his title after winning in 2016 and we are very pleased with that. Kigen finished in second and him and Jacob were a great one-two punch for us. Sampson finished in fifth and having three in the top five really helped seal the win for us. This will gives us a great push as head into the Regional in Tuscaloosa next week as we hope to again qualify for the NCAA Championships." – Head Coach Dean Hayes on the MT men win
"The women ran well against the tough competition to finish in sixth. Rachel really performed for us today as our top finisher in 14th place. All the women raced well today and we are pleased with their continued improvement." – Head Coach Dean Hayes on the women's sixth place finish
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Blue Raider cross country teams will move on to compete at NCAA South Regional on Friday, Nov. 10. The meet will take place in Tuscaloosa, Ala. as the MT men looks to qualify for the NCAA Championships for the second consecutive season.
FULL RESULTS
Men's Team Results (Top 5)
1. Middle Tennessee (31)
2. Charlotte (38)
3. Rice (80)
4. North Texas (100)
5. Marshall (149)
Middle Tennessee Individual Men's Results (8k)
1. Jacob Choge (23:54.2)
2. Kigen Chemadi (23:57.5)
5. Sampson Laari (24:27.3)
11. Amos Cheruiyot (24:53.1)
12. Geoffry Cheruiyot (24:54.7)
50. Nathan Mack (27:01.2)
65. Tre'von Sanders (29:06.3)
Women's Team Results (Top 5)
1. Charlotte (64)
2. Southern Miss (87)
3. Rice (95)
4. UAB (97)
5. North Texas (135)
6. Middle Tennessee (151)
Middle Tennessee Individual Women's Results (5k)
14. Rachel Kigen (17:53.0)
22. Julia Jelagat (18:11.6)
33. Sharon Kibiwott (18:26.2)
39. Agnes Abu (18:37.0)
43. Gladys Kipchumba (18:45.6)
65. Abike Egbeniyi (19:34.2)
Players Mentioned
