Saturday, October 28
Bowling Green, Ky.
10:00 AM ET/9:00 AM CT
Liberty University
at
Conference USA Championships
Liberty Earns Pair of Runner-Up Finishes at 1st CUSA XC Championships
10/28/2023 2:11:00 PM | Cross Country
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Competing at the Conference USA Cross Country Championships for the first time, the Liberty men's and women's teams both finished second, Saturday at Hobson Grove Park.
Eight Flames finished inside the top 17 of the men's 8K to earn All-CUSA honors. That helped Liberty finish inside the top two of its conference meet for the 21st year in a row, including the Flames' 10th consecutive runner-up showing. Middle Tennessee defeated Liberty by 16 points (37-53) for its fourth CUSA crown in seven years.
On the women's side, Adelyn Fairley came in second for her fourth career first team all-conference honor, leading a quartet of All-CUSA honorees. Liberty finished with the same point total (61) as New Mexico State but won the tiebreaker for second place. Middle Tennessee tallied 52 points to complete a sweep of the day's team titles, taking home top honors for the fourth time in five seasons.
Men's Team Results:
1) Middle Tennessee – 37
2) Liberty – 53
3) UTEP – 64
4) Sam Houston – 88
5) New Mexico State – 117
6) Jacksonville State – 165
7) Western Kentucky – 213
8) FIU – 261
9) Louisiana Tech - 280
Men's 8K Individual Results (74 Total Finishers):
1) Victor Kibiego, UTEP – 22:28.3 (First Team All-Conference)
2) Titus Cheruiyot, UTEP – 22:42.3 (First Team All-Conference, Outstanding Senior)
3) Habtamu Geta, Middle Tennessee – 22:47.2 (First Team All-Conference)
4) Vincent Yegon, Middle Tennessee – 22:58.7 (First Team All-Conference)
5) Brian Kiptoo, Middle Tennessee – 22:59.5 (First Team All-Conference)
6) Hillary Kimaiyo, Middle Tennessee – 23:06.2 (First Team All-Conference)
7) Nicholas Kiprotich, Liberty – 23:17.0 (First Team All-Conference)
8) Christian Rivera, Sam Houston – 23:19.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
9) Nathan Moore, Liberty – 23:23.1 (Second Team All-Conference)
10) Gudisa Adnow, Sam Houston – 23:23.8 (Second Team All-Conference)
11) Kyle Harkabus, Liberty – 23:36.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
12) Jacob Hess, Liberty – 23:37.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
13) Thomas Croshaw, New Mexico State – 23:42.2 (Second Team All-Conference, Freshman of the Meet)
14) Caleb Olson, Liberty – 23:52.5 (Second Team All-Conference)
15) Jack Cottrell, Liberty – 23:58.8 (Third Team All-Conference)
16) Will Jefferson, Liberty – 24:04.2 (Third Team All-Conference)
17) Ethan Pedersen, Liberty – 24:06.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
18) Mario Ruiz, Sam Houston – 24:10.7 (Third Team All-Conference)
19) Aron Tanui, UTEP – 24:15.9 (Third Team All-Conference)
20) Carmelo Cannizzaro, Middle Tennessee – 24:18.6 (Third Team All-Conference)
21) Juan Olmos, UTEP – 24:28.8 (Third Team All-Conference)
24) Gavin Sweeney, Liberty – 24:50.8
36) Graham Mussmon, Liberty – 25:19.7
Women's Team Results:
1) Middle Tennessee – 52
2) Liberty – 61
3) New Mexico State – 61
4) FIU – 78
5) UTEP – 110
6) Jacksonville State – 171
7) Sam Houston – 193
8) Western Kentucky – 219
9) Louisiana Tech – 285
Women's 6K Individual Results (76 Total Finishers):
1) Purity Sanga, Middle Tennessee – 21:01.2 (First Team All-Conference, Outstanding Senior)
2) Adelyn Fairley, Liberty – 21:07.0 (First Team All-Conference)
3) Faith Nyathi, Middle Tennessee – 21:08.4 (First Team All-Conference)
4) Ruth Jerubet, UTEP – 21:51.8 (First Team All-Conference)
5) Catherine Farrell, Liberty – 21:52.8 (First Team All-Conference)
6) Thobile Amon, New Mexico State – 21:55.2 (First Team All-Conference)
7) Thulisle Amon, New Mexico State – 22:00.3 (First Team All-Conference)
8) Bethelhem Manzano Jimeno, Jacksonville State – 22:05.8 (Second Team All-Conference)
9) Emily Stutesman, New Mexico State – 22:10.7 (Second Team All-Conference)
10) Andrea Loizidou, FIU – 22:14.8 (Second Team All-Conference)
11) Eleanor Towe, Middle Tennessee – 22:16.5 (Second Team All-Conference, Freshman of the Meet)
12) Katrina Schlenker, Liberty – 22:18.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
13) Lorena Bartakovic, FIU – 22:18.2 (Second Team All-Conference)
14) Maggie Gibbs, New Mexico State – 22:19.1 (Second Team All-Conference)
15) Valerie Lastra, FIU – 22:26.5 (Third Team All-Conference)
16) Vallary Kiplagat, UTEP – 22:30.6 (Third Team All-Conference)
17) Zaila Smith, Middle Tennessee – 22:31.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
18) Ane Martin Del Campo, FIU – 22:35.0 (Third Team All-Conference)
19) Jessica Palisca, Liberty – 22:37.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
20) Brooke Studnicki, Middle Tennessee – 22:44.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
21) Brenda Jerop, UTEP – 22:47.4 (Third Team All-Conference)
23) Marie Hostetler, Liberty – 23:00.1
24) Jessie Zealand, Liberty – 23:05.2
27) Katelyn Locker, Liberty – 23:31.2
36) Summer Bejarano, Liberty – 24:10.4
40) Samantha Troup, Liberty – 24:34.4
45) Anna Jo Ripple, Liberty – 24:50.2
Men's Coach of the Year
Keith Vroman, Middle Tennessee
Women's Coach of the Year
Keith Vroman, Middle Tennessee
Race Reactions
Up Next
The NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships will be next up for the Flames. The meet, which will determine the team and individual qualifiers to the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, is set for Nov. 10 at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C.
The women's 6K is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by the men's 10K at noon.
Eight Flames finished inside the top 17 of the men's 8K to earn All-CUSA honors. That helped Liberty finish inside the top two of its conference meet for the 21st year in a row, including the Flames' 10th consecutive runner-up showing. Middle Tennessee defeated Liberty by 16 points (37-53) for its fourth CUSA crown in seven years.
On the women's side, Adelyn Fairley came in second for her fourth career first team all-conference honor, leading a quartet of All-CUSA honorees. Liberty finished with the same point total (61) as New Mexico State but won the tiebreaker for second place. Middle Tennessee tallied 52 points to complete a sweep of the day's team titles, taking home top honors for the fourth time in five seasons.
Men's Team Results:
1) Middle Tennessee – 37
2) Liberty – 53
3) UTEP – 64
4) Sam Houston – 88
5) New Mexico State – 117
6) Jacksonville State – 165
7) Western Kentucky – 213
8) FIU – 261
9) Louisiana Tech - 280
Men's 8K Individual Results (74 Total Finishers):
1) Victor Kibiego, UTEP – 22:28.3 (First Team All-Conference)
2) Titus Cheruiyot, UTEP – 22:42.3 (First Team All-Conference, Outstanding Senior)
3) Habtamu Geta, Middle Tennessee – 22:47.2 (First Team All-Conference)
4) Vincent Yegon, Middle Tennessee – 22:58.7 (First Team All-Conference)
5) Brian Kiptoo, Middle Tennessee – 22:59.5 (First Team All-Conference)
6) Hillary Kimaiyo, Middle Tennessee – 23:06.2 (First Team All-Conference)
7) Nicholas Kiprotich, Liberty – 23:17.0 (First Team All-Conference)
8) Christian Rivera, Sam Houston – 23:19.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
9) Nathan Moore, Liberty – 23:23.1 (Second Team All-Conference)
10) Gudisa Adnow, Sam Houston – 23:23.8 (Second Team All-Conference)
11) Kyle Harkabus, Liberty – 23:36.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
12) Jacob Hess, Liberty – 23:37.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
13) Thomas Croshaw, New Mexico State – 23:42.2 (Second Team All-Conference, Freshman of the Meet)
14) Caleb Olson, Liberty – 23:52.5 (Second Team All-Conference)
15) Jack Cottrell, Liberty – 23:58.8 (Third Team All-Conference)
16) Will Jefferson, Liberty – 24:04.2 (Third Team All-Conference)
17) Ethan Pedersen, Liberty – 24:06.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
18) Mario Ruiz, Sam Houston – 24:10.7 (Third Team All-Conference)
19) Aron Tanui, UTEP – 24:15.9 (Third Team All-Conference)
20) Carmelo Cannizzaro, Middle Tennessee – 24:18.6 (Third Team All-Conference)
21) Juan Olmos, UTEP – 24:28.8 (Third Team All-Conference)
24) Gavin Sweeney, Liberty – 24:50.8
36) Graham Mussmon, Liberty – 25:19.7
Women's Team Results:
1) Middle Tennessee – 52
2) Liberty – 61
3) New Mexico State – 61
4) FIU – 78
5) UTEP – 110
6) Jacksonville State – 171
7) Sam Houston – 193
8) Western Kentucky – 219
9) Louisiana Tech – 285
Women's 6K Individual Results (76 Total Finishers):
1) Purity Sanga, Middle Tennessee – 21:01.2 (First Team All-Conference, Outstanding Senior)
2) Adelyn Fairley, Liberty – 21:07.0 (First Team All-Conference)
3) Faith Nyathi, Middle Tennessee – 21:08.4 (First Team All-Conference)
4) Ruth Jerubet, UTEP – 21:51.8 (First Team All-Conference)
5) Catherine Farrell, Liberty – 21:52.8 (First Team All-Conference)
6) Thobile Amon, New Mexico State – 21:55.2 (First Team All-Conference)
7) Thulisle Amon, New Mexico State – 22:00.3 (First Team All-Conference)
8) Bethelhem Manzano Jimeno, Jacksonville State – 22:05.8 (Second Team All-Conference)
9) Emily Stutesman, New Mexico State – 22:10.7 (Second Team All-Conference)
10) Andrea Loizidou, FIU – 22:14.8 (Second Team All-Conference)
11) Eleanor Towe, Middle Tennessee – 22:16.5 (Second Team All-Conference, Freshman of the Meet)
12) Katrina Schlenker, Liberty – 22:18.0 (Second Team All-Conference)
13) Lorena Bartakovic, FIU – 22:18.2 (Second Team All-Conference)
14) Maggie Gibbs, New Mexico State – 22:19.1 (Second Team All-Conference)
15) Valerie Lastra, FIU – 22:26.5 (Third Team All-Conference)
16) Vallary Kiplagat, UTEP – 22:30.6 (Third Team All-Conference)
17) Zaila Smith, Middle Tennessee – 22:31.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
18) Ane Martin Del Campo, FIU – 22:35.0 (Third Team All-Conference)
19) Jessica Palisca, Liberty – 22:37.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
20) Brooke Studnicki, Middle Tennessee – 22:44.3 (Third Team All-Conference)
21) Brenda Jerop, UTEP – 22:47.4 (Third Team All-Conference)
23) Marie Hostetler, Liberty – 23:00.1
24) Jessie Zealand, Liberty – 23:05.2
27) Katelyn Locker, Liberty – 23:31.2
36) Summer Bejarano, Liberty – 24:10.4
40) Samantha Troup, Liberty – 24:34.4
45) Anna Jo Ripple, Liberty – 24:50.2
Men's Coach of the Year
Keith Vroman, Middle Tennessee
Women's Coach of the Year
Keith Vroman, Middle Tennessee
Race Reactions
- The Liberty men's squad has finished first or second at its conference meet for 21 consecutive seasons, a streak which began at the 2003 Big South Championship.
- The Flames have posted 10 straight runner-up finishes spanning three conferences (Big South, ASUN, CUSA).
- This is the first time the Liberty men's squad has ever boasted eight all-conference honorees in a single season.
- Nicholas Kiprotich posted a first team all-conference finish for the second year in a row.
- Nathan Moore earned All-CUSA honors during his first year as a Flame, following back-to-back All-Great Midwest honors for Walsh in 2021 and 2022.
- Kyle Harkabus is now a three-time all-conference runner (also two ASUN).
- Caleb Olson finished his final conference cross country championship by earning his fourth career all-conference medal (also three ASUN).
- Ethan Pedersen came in 17th overall and second among freshmen in the men's race.
- The Lady Flames have recorded six consecutive top-two finishes in cross country.
- Adelyn Fairley's impressive conference resume now includes two first-place finishes (2019 ASUN, spring 2021 ASUN), a second-place finish (2023 CUSA) and a third-place finish (fall 2021 ASUN).
- Catherine Farrell stepped up for a fifth-place showing, one year after taking 17th at the ASUN meet.
- Similarly, Katrina Schlenker improved from 23rd place at last year's ASUN meet to 12th on Saturday.
Up Next
The NCAA Division I Southeast Regional Championships will be next up for the Flames. The meet, which will determine the team and individual qualifiers to the 2023 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships, is set for Nov. 10 at Milliken Research Park in Spartanburg, S.C.
The women's 6K is scheduled for 11 a.m., followed by the men's 10K at noon.
Players Mentioned
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