You didn't have to choose at Tallahassee, Florida's Apalachee Regional Park during the Southwest Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championship Meet on Monday morning, 21 October 2023. In the men's 8K, you could have seen a businesslike, run-from-the-front performance by Bethune Cookman University frosh Victor Kibet, who posted a 25:58.4 win. In the women's 5K, you would have witnessed a dramatic finish where Alabama State senior Shamia Jones grabbed the lead with just a hundred meters to go before winning in 19:16.3.
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| Victor Kibet |
The 9:00 AM report of a starting pistol set the first race in motion, the men's 8K. BCU wildcat Victor Kibet set the pace almost from the start, but he still had plenty of company with him at the end of the first kilometer. By two kilometers, only Andrew Kiplagat, a Jackson State frosh, was still hanging with Kibet. Just after three kilometers, Kibet dropped Kiplagat, and the wildcat reached the halfway point of the race with a 60 meter lead. Kibet continued to widen that gap until one kilometer to go, where Kiplagat was overtaken by Prairie View sophomore Thierry Garcon. Garcon left Kiplagat behind and started to close on Kibet.
But Kibet was too far ahead. Garcon narrowed the gap, but Kibet was still 50 meters ahead when he crossed finish line first in 25:58.4. Garcon took the runner-up spot in 26:08.2. Kiplagat placed third in 26:15.8. Sophomore Noah Green was fourth in 26:27.1, giving Prairie View a second athlete in the top ten in addition to Garcon.
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| Thierry Garcon |
Texas Southern also had two athletes in the top ten, with frosh Manuel Garza seventh in 26:43.9 and senior Brandon Adolphus eighth in 26:47.9. The remaining TSU scorers were sophomore Jeremiah Barrera (12th, 27:08.6), frosh Gael Flores (14th, 27:15.3), and frosh Bruce Prince (28th, 28:57.4), giving the Tigers 69 points and the conference title.
Prairie View put up 85 points to place second in the field of eleven SWAC men's teams. Alabama A&M, led by sophomore Zachary Cooper (15th, 27:28.5), was third with 95 points.
Team Standings, 2024 SWAC Men's Cross Country
- Texas Southern, 69
- Prairie View, 85
- Alabama A&M, 95
- Bethune-Cookman, 102
- Jackson State, 103
- Southern, 153
- Alabama State, 167
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 173
- Alcorn State, 175
- Mississippi Valley, 274
- Grambling, 277
Top Ten Men, 2024 SWAC Cross-Country
- 25:58.4, Victor Kibet (Bethune-Cookman) FR
- 26:08.2, Thierry Garcon (Prairie View) SO
- 26:15.8, Andrew Kiplagat (Jackson State) FR
- 26:27.1, Noah Green (Prairie View) SO
- 26:31.4, Inertia Mugethi (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) SO
- 26:43.9, Jon Coulter (Alabama State) JR
- 26:43.9, Manuel Garza (Texas Southern) FR
- 26:47.9, Brandon Adolphus (Texas Southern) SR
- 26:54.7, Kelvin Kipkemboi (Southern) JR
- 27:04.8, Alocius Kipngetich (Alcorn State) SO
Just over two kilometers into the women's 5K, the athletes were making their first of two trips up the Wall, ARPXC's most infamous hill. Cresting the Wall well ahead of the rest of the field, two runners raced side by side--Texas Southern sophomore Alyvia Brown and Florida A&M junior Tara Bert. By the end of the third kilometer, Brown had broken away and was building a lead. She was still in front after her final trip up the wall, and was sixty meters ahead with 300 meters to go.
Then, just over 100 meters from the finish line, Brown fell.
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| Shamia Jones |
Brown never got up to finish. Behind her, Alabama State's Shamia Jones was charging home after overtaking Tara Bert with 200 meters to go. Jones finished the race a few steps ahead, winning the conference in 19:16.3. Bert was second in 19:20.9, just ahead of two more Alabama State Hornets--junior Aliyah Williams at 19:22.2 and senior Taliah Wicket at 19:23.0.
Florida A&M had two more Rattlers in the top ten--sophomore Niya Coleman (6th, 19:39.8) and senior Lacie Deboskie (9th, 19:51.3). But Alabama State had a fourth runner in the top ten, with Hornet frosh Angelique Degboe tenth in 19:54.6. When junior Selket Reid El crossed the finish line 31st in 21:49.3 for the Hornets, the Alabama State women had 47 points and the SWAC cross-country championship.
Florida A&M, the 2023 conference champs, had to settle for a very close second with 49 points. Prairie View, led by the twelth-place, 20:11.6 showing of frosh Lea Murphy, tallied 86 points for third.
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| Tara Bert |
PrimeTime Timing scored and timed the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championship Meet.
Team Standings, 2024 SWAC Women's Cross Country
- Alabama State, 47
- Florida A&M, 49
- Prairie View, 86
- Alabama A&M, 94
- Southern, 155
- Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 164
- Alcorn State, 173
- Bethune-Cookman, 189
- Jackson State, 200
- Mississippi Valley, 250
- Grambling, 311
Top Ten Women, 2024 SWAC Cross-Country
- 19:16.3, Shamia Jones (Alabama State) SR
- 19:20.9, Tara Bert (Florida A&M) JR
- 19:22.2, Aliyah Williams (Alabama State) JR
- 19:23.0, Taliah Wickett (Alabama State) SR
- 19:33.2, Sanyae Gibson (Alabama A&M) SO
- 19:39.8, Niya Coleman (Florida A&M) SO
- 19:46.5, Jessica Williams (Texas Southern) SO
- 19:47.3, Doreen Onchangu (Southern) SO
- 19:51.3, Lacie Deboskie (Florida A&M) SR
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19:54.6, Angelique Degboe (Alabama State) FR
| Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championships Winners at Apalachee Regional Park, 2022 - 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 21 October 2024 | Texas Southern, 69 | 25:59, Victor Kibet (Bethune-Cookman) FR |
| 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 |
| 21 October 2024 | Alabama State, 47 | 19:17, Shamia Jones (Alabama State) SR |
Links
- Complete results of the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championships
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vSYQBu_sW01ABGIGKS2OtNhYVe7dFxk7N0ZiI3KEl4DcsO2YkNbTxRZivEiqpkgt9vt7BPin1PSlbjL/pubhtml
- More Trouble Afoot! photos of the 2024 Southwestern Athletic Conference Cross-Country Championships
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10123140882512793
- 2023 story, “The Florida A&M women and the Texas Southern men ruled the 2023 SWAC Cross-Country Meet”
https://troubleafoot.blogspot.com/2023/10/swac-xc-2023.html
- 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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