Photo by Jonathan Clark / Sidelines Archives
Story by Carl Coates / Sports Reporter
Middle Tennessee State University’s cross country team traveled to E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park Saturday for the Greater Louisville Classic. Many of the top-ranked programs in the nation were in attendance for the event, and the Blue Raiders put on a very solid performance together.
While racing on a course that will be used during NCAA Championship play in November, both squads had individuals place in upper-echelon of their competitions.
The Raiders men squad finished in sixth place overall today and a total of three Blue Raiders ranked in the top 40 individually.
Jacob Choge posted a time of 23:36:53 in the 8k, a new personal best. This time put him within the top 10 in individual performances amongst all male runners.
Following him were Kigen Chemadi and Sampson Laari, with times of 24:14:48 and 24:26:69 respectively.
Despite challenging terrain and stiff competition, the Lady Raiders performed admirably as well. They finished the day at 26th place, with Julia Jelagat finished 66th with an individual time of 17:41:37. Rachel Kigen came in towards the bottom of the top 100, crossing the finish line in 17:51:23. These times were personal best for both runners.
The cross country team will have a couple of weeks to regain their strength, before will traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama for the Crimson Classic.
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