Tennessee men third, women sixth in NCAA cross country regional

Tennessee cross country turned in a pair of strong performances Friday at the NCAA South Region Championships at Apalachee Regional Park, with the No. 24 Volunteer men placing third and the Lady Vols finishing sixth.

The men's squad edged host Florida State by two points to secure a top-three finish, while sophomore Mary Nyaboke Ogwoka earned an individual automatic berth to the NCAA Championships with a fourth-place finish in the women's 6,000-meter race.

The Tennessee men totaled 120 points to place third in the 21-team field. Vol sophomore Nelson Mapi Setek led the Big Orange with a fourth-place finish in the 10,000-meter race, clocking a personal-best 29:07.1 to earn All-Region honors as he paced UT for the fourth consecutive meet.

Zouhair Redouane also secured All-Region recognition, placing 13th in 30:01.9, while Ethan Edgeworth finished 24th in a personal-best 30:19.9 to give Tennessee three runners among the top 25.

Ty Steorts placed 27th in 30:25.2, while Charlie Mlotshwa rounded out the Vols' scoring five in 55th at 31:19.9.

On the women's side, the Lady Vols finished sixth out of 21 teams with 192 points, highlighted by Ogwoka's fourth-place individual performance. The sophomore crossed the line in 19:32.0 to earn All-Region honors for the second-straight season and secure one of the region's individual automatic qualifying spots for the NCAA Championships.

Freshman Faith Chepchumba also earned All-Region recognition, placing 19th in 20:15.1.Junior Tula Fawbush (54th, 21:04.1), graduate student Kaitlyn Vanderkolk (56th, 21:10.8) and senior Summer Schuster (59th, 21:12.7) completed Tennessee's scoring lineup.

UP NEXT

The 2026 NCAA Cross Country Championships are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 21, in Terre Haute, Indiana. Ogwoka has secured her place on the national stage as an individual, while the Volunteer men await the NCAA's at-large team selections. The NCAA Division I Cross Country selection show is set for 5 p.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 14, on NCAA.com.