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| Florida A&M women's team |
The air was still 57°F at 9:00 AM ET when the women started racing. Alesia Douglas, a Florida A & M frosh, set a fast early pace for the field. By the end of the first kilometer, though, Stellah Kiptui had taken the lead. An Alcorn State senior and the 2022 SWAC women's cross-country champion, Kiptui had opened a thirty-second gap on the field by the end of the second kilometer. Her teammate, Alcorn State junior Teresa Gallegos, had moved into second.
Kiptui was farther ahead than ever going into the final kilometer, and still running away from the field. While she was racing to an 18:24 win, Gallegos was overtaken by Rebecca Bernardin, then by Shamia Jones, both Alabama State seniors. Bernardin was second in 19:52 and Jones third in 19:55. Southern senior Camille Jones passed Gallegos right before the line to take fourth in 19:56, Gallegos was fifth in 19:57.
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| Stellah Kiptui |
With two of the top three runners, Alabama State had the beginnings of a good case for the team title. The Hornets strengthened that argument by placing their sophomore, Taisha Benjamin, eighth in 20:11. But Florida A&M also had three athletes in the top ten--junior Serenity Williams (6th, 19:59), frosh Niya Coleman (9th, 20:26), and frosh Sierra Barrera (10th, 20:46). Two more frosh Rattlers completed Florida A&M's scoring--Alesia Douglas was fourteenth in 20:55 and Jillian Salmon was 24th in 21:11. Racing in their own backyard, the Rattler women had scored 63 points and won the SWAC conference title for Florida A&M.
Alabama State was second with 72 points. Alabama A&M, led by junior Taylor Wingo (7th, 20:04), placed third in the twelve-team field with 99 points.
Women's Team Standings, 2023 SWAC Cross-Country Championships
- Florida A&M, 63
- Alabama State, 72
- Alabama A&M, 99
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 110
- Alcorn State, 122
- Prairie View, 139
- Texas Southern, 158
- Southern, 184
- Bethune-Cookman, 244
- Grambling, 249
- Jackson State, 270
- Mississippi Valley, 283
Top Ten Athletes, 2023 SWAC Cross-Country Championships Women's 5K
- 18:23.1, Stellah Kiptui (Alcorn State) SR
- 19:51.9, Rebecca Bernardin (Alabama State) SR
- 19:54.3, Shamia Jones (Alabama State) SR
- 19:55.4, Camille Lewis (Southern) SR
- 19:56.6, Teresa Gallegos (Alcorn State) JR
- 19:58.2, Serenity Williams (Florida A&M) JR
- 20:03.9, Taylor Wingo (Alabama A&M) JR
- 20:10.8, Taisha Benjamin (Alabama State) SO
- 20:25.9, Niya Coleman (Florida A&M) FR
- 20:45.7, Sierra Barrera (Florida A&M) FR
The air had warmed a few degrees at 10:00 AM when the men's 8K got under way. Kelvin Kipkemboi, an Alcorn State sophomore, took the lead early, closely followed by Texas Southern senior Jose Gonzalez. It was Kipkemboi's first time racing at Apalachee Regional Park; Gonzalez had run at ARPXC in 2022, placing sixth in the SWAC Championship Meet. For the first three kilometers of the race, Kipkemboi led, with Gonzalez a couple of steps behind.
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| Kelvin Kipkemboi and Jose Gonzalez |
During the fourth kilometer, Gonzalez moved up on Kipkemboi's shoulder. Kipkemboi rejected the challenge, opening a gap on Gonzales. During the second half of the race, that gap grew. And grew. And grew some more. Kipkemboi was almost 200 meters ahead when he crossed the line first in 26:17. Gonzalez took second in 26:54. On the homestretch, Alabama State senior Abdiqadir Mohamed overtook Thierry Garcon, a frosh from Prairie View, to nab third, 27:22 to 27:25.
Gonzalez was the first of two Texas Southern Tigers in the top ten; TSU junior Brandon Johnson placed ninth in 27:38. Texas Southern's next three scorers were frosh Jeremiah Barrera (11th, 27:52), junior Dan Lerma (14th, 28:15), and sophomore David Livingston (17th, 28:34). After Livingston was across the line, the Tigers had 53 points and the 2023 SWAC men's cross-country title.
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| Texas Southern men's team |
Prairie View placed second among the ten SWAC teams, scoring 66 points. Alcorn State was third with 90 points.
The SWAC Cross-Country Championships are slated to return to Apalachee Regional Park in 2024. PrimeTime Timing of Brookfield, Wisconsin timed and scored the 2023 Championships.
Men's Team Standings, 2023 SWAC Cross-Country Championships
- Texas Southern, 53
- Prairie View, 66
- Alcorn State, 90
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 96
- Alabama State, 106
- Southern, 114
- Jackson State, 145
- Bethune-Cookman, 199
- Mississippi Valley, 239
- Grambling, 264
Top Ten Athletes, 2023 SWAC Cross-Country Championships Men's 5K
- 26:16.4, Kelvin Kipkemboi (Alcorn State) SO
- 26:53.4, Jose Gonzalez (Texas Southern) SR
- 27:21.5, Abdiqadir Mohamed (Alabama State) SR
- 27:24.4, Thierry Garcon (Prairie View) FR
- 27:27.3, Terrance Johnson (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) JR
- 27:33.4, Alocius Kipngetich (Alcorn State) JR
- 27:34.5, Noah Green (Prairie View) FR
- 27:35.6, Jeremiah Hudson (Jackson State) SR
- 27:37.4, Brandon Washington (Texas Southern) JR
- 27:38.4, Jon Coulter (Alabama State) SO
| Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championships Winners at Apalachee Regional Park, 2022 - 2023 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's 8K | ||
| Date | Team | Athlete |
| 24 October 2022 | Jackson State, 43 | 25:40, Tyler Duncan (Jackson State) JR |
| 23 October 2023 | Texas Southern, 53 | 26:17, Kelvin Kipkemboi (Alcorn State) SO |
| Women's 5K | ||
| Date | Team | Athlete |
| 24 October 2022 | Bethune-Cookman, 90 | 18:04, Stellah Kiptui (Alcorn State) SO |
| 23 October 2023 | Florida A&M, 63 | 18:24, Stellah Kiptui (Alcorn State) SR |
Links
- Complete results of the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championships
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRqqbvNpOBvC80cizjwXhB35pTe2bQDSz8Z1do7Aiwfe8iPpvMVMymLkfll7sHH97Q2T0ZdnIsYzrmj/pubhtml
- More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2023 Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championships
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10121437104502583
- Find your next race in the Tallahassee region on the Trouble Afoot! calendar
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/search/label/calendar?max-results=1
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