Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Four Blue Raiders earn Conference USA weekly honors
9/29/2026 1:00:00 PM | Men's Cross Country and Track & Field, Women's Cross Country and Track & Field, Track & Field/Cross Country
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Four Middle Tennessee cross country student-athletes earned Conference USA weekly honors following their performances at the Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational in Chicago, Ill., last Friday, the league office announced Tuesday afternoon.
Evalyne Wambui and Allan Kiplagat were named the Women's and Men's Athletes of the Week, respectively, while Gladys Muriithi and Edger Ngibe earned Women's and Men's Freshmen of the Week honors.
Wambui turned in a standout performance in the women's 6K, placing second with a time of 19:05.35. The sophomore finished runner-up in a field of 150 competitors, helping lead the Blue Raiders to a fifth-place team finish among 17 programs. Middle Tennessee finished ahead of several Power Conference programs, including Michigan, Virginia, Minnesota and Northwestern. The honor marks Wambui's third Conference USA Athlete of the Week award of her career.
Kiplagat also delivered a strong performance, finishing fourth in the men's 8K with a time of 22:51.30. The Blue Raider placed fourth among 153 competitors and helped Middle Tennessee secure a sixth-place team finish out of 17 programs. Kiplagat finished ahead of competitors from Power Conference programs, including Wisconsin, Washington and Virginia. The honor marks the fifth Conference USA Athlete of the Week award of his career.
Making her Blue Raider cross country debut, Muriithi finished 37th in the women's 6K with a time of 20:10.67. The freshman competed in a field of 150 runners and helped Middle Tennessee earn a fifth-place team finish among 17 programs. Muriithi finished ahead of runners representing Power Conference programs, including Michigan, Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Minnesota. The weekly honor marks Muriithi's first conference award as a Blue Raider.
Ngibe also made his cross country debut for Middle Tennessee, finishing 63rd in the men's 8K with a time of 23:42.87. Competing in a field of 153 runners, Ngibe finished ahead of competitors from Power Conference programs, including Washington, Wisconsin, Virginia and Michigan. His performance helped the Blue Raiders secure a sixth-place finish among 17 teams. The honor marks Ngibe's first conference weekly award as a Blue Raider.
Up Next
The Blue Raiders will travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. For their next race on Oct. 16 at the Crimson Classic
Follow the Blue Raiders
Stay up to date with Blue Raiders Cross Country and Track and Field on Instagram (@MTTrackField), X (@MT_TrackField), and Facebook (@MTTrack)
