Tide Rolls Through South Region, Locks Up Team Titles; Ole Miss Men, Florida Women Are Auto Qualifiers

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Photos by University of Alabama

RESULTS | Auto Qualifiers - Alabama men, Ole Miss men; Alabama women, Florida women

Friday morning at Appalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., the Alabama men and women swept the team titles and are moving on to Madison, Wis. for the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 23. 

No. 10 Alabama's men went 1-2-3 with freshman Dismus Lokira winning the 10,000-meter race in 29:30.8. Teammates Victor Kiprop (29:34.4) and another freshman, Dennis Kipruto (29:42.9) were right behind him. 

Alabama's fourth and fifth were 29th and 45th, but the Tide scored 80 points. 

Ole Miss got the second automatic qualifying spot with 91 points, led by Toby Gillen (sixth in 29:51.1) and Elyas Ayyoub (seventh in 29:53.9). 

Tennessee was third with 109 points, followed by Florida State with 112. 

Individual qualifiers were Christopher Middleton-Pearson from Tennessee (fourth), Allan Kiplagat from Middle Tennessee  (fifth), and two from Auburn, Nickson Chebii (eighth) and Ryan Kinnane (ninth). 

Former teammates Hilda Olemomoi and Doris Lemngole crossed the finish line together in the women's 6-kilometer race in 19:30.6. Olemomoi of Florida was awarded first place and Lemngole second. They were both 22 seconds ahead of the next finisher. 

Lemngole led No. 7 Alabama to the team victory as the Tide scored 63 points to No. 18 Florida's 79. 

Brenda Tuwei was third for Alabama (19:52.8) and Pheline Cheruto Mining (20:11.4) was seventh. 

Gators Tia Wilson, Allison Wilson and Bethan Morley finished 12th, 15th and 16th, respectively. 

No. 24 Florida State was third with 106 points and No. 16 Tennessee was fourth with 123. No. 27 Lipscomb was fifth with 134 points. All of them will await at-large selections to determine their fate. 

The top four individual from non-qualifying teams are Florida State duo Agnes McTighe (fourth) and Bieke Schipperen (fifth), Loral Wynn of Ole Miss (sixth) and Ashley Jones of Tennessee (eighth).