Men's Cross Country Takes First At Crimson Classic
9/18/2010 12:00:00 AM
Sept. 18, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Paced by three runners in the top-10, the No. 5 University of Alabama men's cross country team added another Crimson Classic championship to its trophy case Saturday morning at the Harry Pritchett Running Course.
The Crimson Tide's five scorers in the 8-kilometer race all scored in the top-30 finishers of the 148-runner field to finish with 57 points and easily defeat second-place Mississippi (78). Texas A&M (82) finished third followed by Auburn (82) and Kennesaw State (108) in the top five of the 18-team field.
"I was pleased with the way we raced today and the effort we gave," UA head coach Joe Walker said. "Typically if we take care of that the outcome is favorable. The results were a little closer than I anticipated and Ole Miss had a great day. But I'm real pleased with our overall effort on a hot day on a tough course."
As start-time temperatures crept toward 90 degrees, Carison Kemei, competing in his first race for the Tide, turned in the squad's top finish coming in fourth with a time of 24:04.30. Joel Rop followed nearly a minute later in eighth place with a time of 25:03.80 with Moses Kiptoo on his heels in ninth with a 25:08.10 finish.
"My performance today was ok, but right now I still need to improve in terms of endurance," Kemei said. "I was pretty excited about the way the team performed today but I can see a lot of things that we know that we still need to improve before the Pre-National meet."
Walker added that Kemei's finish was what he expected from the NAIA All-American and that the pack he was competing against consisted of All-Americans and two-time Southeastern Conference champion Barnabas Kirui. Columbus State's Meshack Koyiaki won the men's race with a course-record time of 23:44.40.
Julius Bor finished in 12th for the Tide at 25:11.40 with Andrew Kirwa rounding out the scoring in 31st with a 25:55.80 finish. Austin Duckworth and Nathan Corder also finished in the top-50 coming in 39th and 40th with times of 26:23.90 and 26:25.40, respectively.
"We had some really gutsy efforts from a few guys that just aren't really there yet in their training," Walker said. "They competed hard even when they aren't at the optimal level. Moses (Kiptoo) and Andrew (Kirwa) are both coming off injuries this summer and this was a really good, tough race for those guys."
While Walker was certainly pleased with his squad finishing first, the meet served as another building block in the squad's training and gradual build up to the championship season.
"I think now we have a perspective and feel for where we're at as a team," Walker said. "This race just reinforces what I've been saying which is that we still have a lot of work to do."
The squad will have a week off from competition to continue its training before traveling north to South Bend, Ind., to compete in the Notre Dame Invitational on Oct. 1.
2010 Crimson Classic
September 18, 2010
Tuscaloosa, Ala. - Harry Pritchett Running Course
Team Results
1. Alabama - 57
2. Mississippi - 78
3. Texas A&M - 82
4. Auburn - 95
5. Kennesaw State - 108
6. Columbus State - 135
7. Mississippi Valley State - 222
8. Troy - 250
9. Samford - 276
10. Tulane - 300
11. Alabama State - 316
12. West Alabama - 347
13. Chattahoochee Tech - 379
14. Nicholls State - 390
15. Huntingdon - 424
16. Alcorn State - 455
17. Stillman - 505
18. William Carey - 514
Alabama Results
4. Carison Kemei - 24:04.30
8. Joel Rop - 25:03.80
9. Moses Kiptoo - 25:08.10
12. Julius Bor - 25:11.40
31. Andrew Kirwa - 25:55.80
39. Austin Duckworth - 26:23.90
40. Nathan Corder - 26:25.40
68. Kenta Nolin - 27:49.40
75. Evan Kendrick - 28:14.40
