Tulane Cross Country Programs Capture American Conference Titles

The Tulane Green Wave men's and women's cross country programs are officially champions.

The Green Wave dominated the American Conference Cross Country Championships at Lake Oaks Park on Saturday morning, with team and individual championships all around. It marks the first time that a program has swept individual and team titles in the league championship meet since the Tulsa Golden Hurricane did so back in 2022. The women defended their crown and clinched their third title in four years, while the men added their second championship in the last three seasons. 

The Tulane women's program had little trouble in securing the title with a team score of 32 points and an average time of 20:36 in the 6K race, besting runner-up Tulsa by 24 points.  Blezzin Kimutai captured the conference title with a blistering time of 19:49.8; it was her first individual title after finishing as the runner-up in each of the previous two seasons.

Petra Dos Santos finished in fifth place for the Green Wave, while Dorcas Naibei and Haley Harper finished in seventh and eighth, respectively. Allison Hall scored the final points for the team, coming in 11th place. 

On the men's side, the Green Wave notched 31 points with an average time of 23:55.6 in the 8K race. Silas Kiptanui clinched the individual crown with a time of 23:28.7, marking his third win of the year and his first conference title. Tulsa finished in second place with 56 points. 

Bernard Cheruiyot placed third with a time of 23:36.6. Gilbert Rono, Timothy Kibet and Micah Grossman were the final scorers for Tulane, finishing in eighth, ninth and 10th place, respectively. Tommy Rice was just behind them in 11th place. 

Following the event, several individuals within the program were recognized for an outstanding season.

Director of cross country and track and field Adrian Myers and assistant coach David Silversmith were named the Men's and Women's Coaching Staff of the Year. 

Tulane had six women's racers make the All-Conference Team: Kimutai, Dos Santos, Naibei, Harper, Hall and Dana Rojas Vazquez. On the men's side, Kiptanui, Cheruiyot, Kibet, Rono, Rice and Grossman received All-Conference recognition.

The season is still far from over for the Green Wave, as both programs will now look to continue its success through the rest of the postseason. The teams will compete at the NCAA South Central Regional on Friday, November 13th, in College Station, Texas, with the men looking to defend their title. The season ends with the NCAA National Championships on Saturday, November 21st, in Terre Haute, Indiana.