Blue Raiders take home third and fourth place at Memphis Twilight Classic

Saturday, August 31

Memphis, Tenn.

Middle Tennessee

Memphis Twilight Classic

9/1/2024 2:00:00 AM | Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Track & Field/Cross Country

By: Jayce Standridge, MTSU Athletic Communications

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Middle Tennessee cross country kicked off their season tonight in Memphis for the annual Memphis Twilight Classic hosted by Christian Brothers University.

The men rounded out the top three out of 13 teams, having both the first and second place finishers in Brian Kiptoo (19:28.72) and Allan Kiplagat (19:40.73). Sammy Sang (21:16.22), Carmelo Cannizzaro (21:16.99), and Juan Lucas (22:04.02) finished out as the top five scorers for the Blue Raiders.

The women finished fourth out of 14 teams in Memphis. Newcomers Sandra Maiyo (17:57.46) and Nancy Maiyo (18:29.46) finished in the top 10 of the meet. Eleanor Towe (19:02.71), Hailee Gorham (19:46.81), and Lauren Cole (20:31.77) got their first meet of the season under their belt.

Assistant Coach Alex Kline says, "On the women's side, it was nice to see our newcomers get out on the course and compete for the first time. Both of our returners improved from this meet last year, especially Hailee, so lots to be proud of across the board. We know we'll only improve as we continue to train and get our full team together on the course.

"On the men's side, I'm extremely proud of how Brian and Allan executed the race plan to go 1-2. Carmelo's last mile was terrific and that's got to give him a lot of confidence to start the season. It was nice to see the guys all work together and hopefully that continues throughout the season."

RACE RESULTS
Saturday, August 31 | Memphis Twilight Classic

Men's 4 Mile – 102 points – 3rd out of 13 teams

Place	Name	Time
1	Brian Kiptoo	19:28.72
2	Allan Kiplagat	19:40.73
29	Sammy Sang	21:16.22
30	Carmelo Cannizzaro	21:16.99
55	Juan Lucas	22:04.02

Women's 5000m – 104 points – 4th place out of 14 teams

Place	Name	Time
4	Sandra Maiyo	17:57.46
8	Nancy Maiyo	18:29.46
21	Eleanor Towe	19:02.71
32	Hailee Gorham	19:46.81
48	Lauren Cole	20:31.77

Next Up
Their next meet is the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Ala. on September 13th.

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