Men's Cross Country Repeats as South Central Regional Champions, Women Finish Fourth

The Tulane Green Wave men's and women's cross country programs had quite the showings at the NCAA Division I South Central Regional on Friday in College Station, Texas.

The 25th-ranked men's program raced to a first place finish in the 10k race for the second season in a row, punching their tickets to the NCAA National Championship. The Green Wave scored a 44 to edge out the Arkansas Razorbacks by just four points and placed all seven of its racers in the top 20. It continues what's been a dominant season for the program, which claimed the American Conference crown just two weeks ago.

Silas Kiptanui led all Tulane runners with a fourth-place finish and a time of 29:06.4. Bernard Cheruiyot was not far behind him, notching a time of 29:34.0 to clinch sixth place. Timothy Kibet was the third Green Wave distance runner to finish in the top 10, with a ninth-place time of 29:48.6. 

Micah Grossman came in 11th place, Gilbert Rono finished 14th, Tommy Rice crossed the line in 17th place and Juan Giron rounded out the team's showing in 19th place. All seven racers received All-Regional Team honors. The men's program will now gear up to head to nationals.

Meanwhile, Tulane's women's program finished in fourth place behind Arkansas, the SMU Mustangs and the Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks. Blezzin Kimutai led all Olive Green and Sky Blue runners in the 6k race, finishing in sixth place with a time of 19:27. With a top-10 finish, the junior will be racing individually at NCAA Nationals next weekend. Dorcas Naibei also broke into the top 20, racing to a 19:58 finish that was good for 16th place. Both racers were named to the All-Regional Team. 

Haley Harper finished in 26th and Dana Rojas Vazquez was not far behind with a 30th overall finish. Alex Sharp (37th), Allison Hall (52nd) and Isabella Ramos (59th) rounded out Tulane's competitors. 

Though the year has come to an end for the Green Wave women's team, it was an incredibly successful season to be proud of. Tulane won its third American Conference Championship in the last four seasons, further asserting its dominance on the course. The program has become a dynasty, and there is no doubt that it will continue to succeed. 

Now, the men's team and Kimutai on the women's side will prepare to head to Terre Haute, Indiana, for the NCAA National Championships on Saturday, November 21st.