Tulane Men Squeak Past Arkansas, 44-46; Texas A&M Women Put Five In Top 25

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Braeden Botts photos

RESULTS | Auto Qualifiers - Tulane men, Arkansas men; Texas A&M women, LSU women

It's a rare day at the NCAA South Central Regional when Arkansas doensn't win. 

Friday was one of them. Texas A&M, which placed sixth at the SEC Championships, scored 71 points to win the regional title at Agri Park in Fayetteville, Ark. 

The Aggies along with LSU, second with 86 points, are the two automatic qualifiers for the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 22 Columbia, Mo. 

Arkansas had won the previous 13 years in a row and finished fourth. It was to be expected after the Razorbacks took 14th at the SEC Championships. 

Elizabeth Khatevi from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi won the 6-kilometer women's race in 19:33.6 and was nine seconds clear of Sydney Thorvaldson of Arkansas. Those two, plus Blezzin Kimutai of Tulane (third) and Rose Mburu of SMU (sixth) are all assured of advancing to nationals as the top four from non-qualifying teams. 

Texas A&M's Joyce Kemboi led the Aggies with a fourth-place finish and Debora Cherono was seventh. 

LSU, which finished two spots ahead of A&M at the SEC Championships, was led by the fifth place finish of Yuya Sawada. 

Arkansas' Timothy Chesondin won the men's 10-kilometer race a year after finishing second behind a teammate. In the first 10k of the year, Chesondin ran 28:44.4 and won by seven seconds. 

Tulane duo Bernard Cheruiyot and Silas Kiptanui finished second and third to lead the Green Wave, which pulled off a small upset, 44 to 46 over the Razorbacks. Tulane was ranked 25th heading into the meet, Arkansas 23rd. 

Tulane qualified for its first NCAA meet since 1998 last year and will return again as a regional champion. 

Arkansas went 1-4-5-6 but then waited a minute and 42 seconds for its fifth scorer. 

Tulane and Arkansas accounted for the top six finishers in the race. Individual qualifying spots went to seventh-place finisher Johnson Lagat from TCU, Paul Kiprotich of Stephen F. Austin (eighth), Jack Johnston of Texas A&M (ninth) and Kgaogelo Moloisi of Louisiana-Monroe.