Alabama
Joe Piane Invitational
Lemngole Captures Second Individual Crown, Alabama Earns Two Third-Place Finishes at Joe Piane Invitational
9/29/2023 1:15:00 PM | Track & Field, Cross Country
The Crimson Tide women were led by Doris Lemngole’s second victory in her second collegiate race, while Hillary Cheruiyot and Victor Kiprop paced the men’s side with a pair of top-three finishes
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Alabama cross country's Doris Lemngole picked up right where she left off, winning the second individual title of her short Crimson Tide career, this time by clocking 16:05.9 to claim the Women's Blue individual crown Friday morning at the Joe Piane Invitational. The feat marks the second consecutive victory for Lemngole, in only her second ever collegiate race.
Both the No. 22 women's and No. 27 men's UA cross country teams opened the morning with third-place overall finishes. respectively. The team results also marked the third straight top-four result for the women and the third consecutive top-three finish for the men during the 2023 season.
The Crimson Tide women tallied 73 points, led by Lemnogle's first-place finish over the 5,000-meter course. She would be joined by Hilda Olemomoi (eighth) and Joy Gill (11th) who both opened their 2023 season with a top-12 time of their own.
The UA men claimed their third-place finish via an 114-point performance led by the Alabama trio of Hillary Cheruiyot (second), Victor Kiprop (third) and Eliud Kipsang (25th). It was the season-opening race for all three runners, as Cheruiyot (23:10.6) and Kiprop (23:12.3) finished within two to four seconds of the winning, individual time.
Before the day was over, Alabama's Crawford West clocked a top-20 finish in the Women's Open 5,000-meter run.
Head Coach Dan Waters Said
"Overall, we had a very good day against one of the nation's strongest fields. Doris won her second title in as many meets for the women and Victor and Hillary both earned top-three finishes for the men. To have this type of meet, against this kind of competition, was huge for us as we move toward postseason. Our women went head-to-head with two of the best teams in the country, and I'm proud of how our lineup raced today. For it being their first race of the season, our top-three guys – Hillary, Victor and Eliud did really well. The rest of our guys did a good job of sticking to the race plan. Collectively, I'm proud of how we represented the Crimson Tide today, gaining some great experience that we will carry with us as we look to close out the regular season at home next month."
Crimson Tide Top Finishes
- Doris Lemngole (first), Hilda Olemomoi (eighth) and Joy Gill (11th) all secured top-12 finishes to help propel the Tide to its third-place, team finish
- Elka Machan (24th) and McKenzie Daniel (29th) rounded out Alabama's scoring five
- Hillary Cheruiyot (second), Victor Kiprop (third) and Eliud Kipsang (25th) all secured top-25 finishes in their season-opening race to lead Alabama
- Jacob Harris (39th) and Carson Burian (45th) rounded out the Tide's scoring five
- Crawford West earned a 17th-place finish in the Women's Open 5,000m
Up Next for the Crimson Tide
- Alabama will take a week off before concluding its 2023 regular season at home for the Crimson Classic on Oct. 13
Alabama Women - Individual Results | 5K
1. Doris Lemngole | 16:05.9
8. Hilda Olemomoi | 16:33.7
11. Joy Gill | 16:41.2
24. Elka Machan | 17:05.5
29. McKenzie Daniel | 17:12.6
90. Lilly Walters | 18:06.5
95. Macy Schelp | 18:09.1
96. Keaton Morrison | 18:10.5
116. Leah Kleekamp | 18:35.2
Open 5,000m: 17. Crawford West | 18:02.9
Alabama Men – Individual Results | 5 Mile
2. Hillary Cheruiyot | 23:10.6
3. Victor Kiprop | 23:12.3
25. Eliud Kipsang | 24:04.0
39. Jacob Harris | 24:11.5
45. Carson Burian | 24:18.9
85. Jackson Harris | 24:50.6
132. Hudson Hurst | 25:47.1
139. Brady Barton | 25:59.2
For all the latest information on the team, follow AlabamaTrack on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. General athletic news can be found @UA_Athletics on X/Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook.
Players Mentioned
