Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

Kiplagat, Nyathi finish in third at the Southern Showcase
9/13/2025 2:40:00 PM | Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Track & Field/Cross Country
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Allan Kiplagat and Faith Nyathi each placed third at the Southern Showcase in Huntsville, Alabama on Friday morning.
Reigning All-American Kiplagat delivered a standout performance, clocking 23:22.7 — the fifth-fastest 8K time ever recorded at John Hunt Park. Brian Kiptoo (24:11.6) and Jacinto Gaspar (24:21.2) both finished inside the top 30, while Solomon Sayo followed close behind in 45th with a 24:38.8. Macdonald Songok, Gabe Allen, Juan Lucas, and Brendan Nagle rounded out the Blue Raider scoring.
Middle Tennessee State University placed sixth overall out of 48 teams, scoring 190 points in a field of 449 runners.
On the women's side, Nyathi impressed with a third-place finish, running 16:35.2. Odilia Jepchumba finished 36th in 17:30.7, followed by Eleanor Towe (164th, 18:41.1), Privilege Chikara (178th, 18:50.7), Hailee Gorham (203rd, 19:02.7), and Lauren Cole (213th, 19:08.2).
Coach Keith Vroman:
"We had really good individual performances with huge improvements from Jacinto (Gaspar) and Solomon (Sayo). Faith had a really good race too, but there is still work to be done."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will travel to Louisville, Kentucky for the Louisville Classic on October 4.
Keep up with Blue Raider Cross Country
Facebook: Middle Tennessee Blue Raider XC/Track & Field
Twitter: @MT_TrackField
Instagram: @mt_trackfield
Reigning All-American Kiplagat delivered a standout performance, clocking 23:22.7 — the fifth-fastest 8K time ever recorded at John Hunt Park. Brian Kiptoo (24:11.6) and Jacinto Gaspar (24:21.2) both finished inside the top 30, while Solomon Sayo followed close behind in 45th with a 24:38.8. Macdonald Songok, Gabe Allen, Juan Lucas, and Brendan Nagle rounded out the Blue Raider scoring.
Middle Tennessee State University placed sixth overall out of 48 teams, scoring 190 points in a field of 449 runners.
On the women's side, Nyathi impressed with a third-place finish, running 16:35.2. Odilia Jepchumba finished 36th in 17:30.7, followed by Eleanor Towe (164th, 18:41.1), Privilege Chikara (178th, 18:50.7), Hailee Gorham (203rd, 19:02.7), and Lauren Cole (213th, 19:08.2).
Coach Keith Vroman:
"We had really good individual performances with huge improvements from Jacinto (Gaspar) and Solomon (Sayo). Faith had a really good race too, but there is still work to be done."
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will travel to Louisville, Kentucky for the Louisville Classic on October 4.
Keep up with Blue Raider Cross Country
Facebook: Middle Tennessee Blue Raider XC/Track & Field
Twitter: @MT_TrackField
Instagram: @mt_trackfield
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