Crimson Tide Finishes 11th at NCAA Cross Country Championships
11/22/2010 12:00:00 AM
Nov. 22, 2010
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The University of Alabama men's cross country team capped another outstanding season with an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Championships Monday afternoon on the LaVern Gibson Championship course. Individually, Julius Bor earned All-America honors for the Crimson Tide with his 35th-place finish in the 10-kilometer race.
The team's 11th-place finish is the fifth highest in the program's history as the team fell just one spot shy of recording its fourth straight top-10 finish. The Tide was edged out of 10th by nine points by Southeastern Conference Champion Arkansas while Oklahoma State won its second consecutive team title.
"I was very pleased with our effort today," head coach Joe Walker said. "We were aggressive early and drifted a little in the middle, but each guy closed well at the line."
Running in less than ideal conditions with sustained wind gusts over 25 miles per hour, Bor charged to the front of the 246-runner field to cross the line in 30:26.60. Carison Kemei finished 10 seconds behind in 46th while veteran Moses Kiptoo was 68th with a time of 30:39.80.
"I'm very proud of where this team has come in the last three weeks," Walker added. "To come from a national ranking of 27 at one point and finish 11th in the country is a solid performance. Our goal of four straight years in the top 10 eluded us by a very slight margin, but overall I'm happy with this effort today and proud of the guys in Crimson."
Rounding out that effort was Joel Rop in 98th with a time of 31:08.90 followed by Andrew Kirwa in 160th at 31:42.00. Liberty's Sam Chelenga won the individual title for the second straight year with a time of 29:22.20.
Since 2005, the Tide has appeared in six straight NCAA Championship with an average finish of 12th and five top-20 finishes including a program best third-place finish in 2009.
NCAA Cross Country Championships
Nov. 22, 2010 | Terre Haute, Ind.
Alabama Individual Results
35. Julius Bor - 30:26.60
46. Carison Kemei - 30:36.50
68. Moses Kiptoo - 30:39.80
98. Joel Rop - 31:08.90
160. Andrew Kirwa - 31:42.00
245. Nathan Corder - 35:28.00
Team Results
1. Oklahoma State - 73
2. Florida State - 193
3. Wisconsin - 223
4. Stanford - 237
5. Oklahoma - 281
6. Oregon - 289
7. Indiana - 298
8. Iona - 303
9. Northern Arizona - 317
10. Arkansas - 329
11. Alabama - 338
12. Princeton - 351
13. Portland - 362
14. Syracuse - 365
15. Colorado - 366
16. New Mexico - 376
17. Virginia - 386
18. BYU - 414
19. William & Mary - 420
20. NC State - 436
21. Duke - 475
22. Providence - 510
23. Villanova - 550
24. Richmond - 554
25. Notre Dame - 571
26. Texas - 595
27. Minnesota - 608
28. Louisville - 622
29. Georgetown - 644
30. Penn State - 659
31. California - 678
