Saturday, November 2
Oxford, Ala.
9:30 AM ET/8:30 AM CT
Liberty University
at
Conference USA Championships
CUSA XC Championships Slated for Saturday in Alabama
10/31/2024 9:07:00 AM | Cross Country
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Liberty men's and women's cross country teams will chase their first CUSA titles, Saturday morning. The 2024 Conference USA Cross Country Championships will be hosted by Jacksonville State at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala.
The women's 6K is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Eastern and will be followed by the men's 8K at 10:30. Both races will air live on ESPN+.
Women's Team Preview
The Lady Flames are in search of their first conference title since capturing back-to-back ASUN crowns in spring 2021 and fall 2021. Since then, they have notched a pair of runner-up finishes (one ASUN, one CUSA).
After defeating four nationally-ranked opponents during its last two races (Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational and Wisconsin Pre-Nationals), Liberty is receiving votes in the national poll and listed a season-best No. 5 in the Southeast Region.
The Lady Flames are one of three CUSA teams who currently appear in the regional rankings, joining New Mexico State (No. 13 in the Mountain Region) and newcomer Kennesaw State (No. 13 in the South Region).
Defending CUSA champion Middle Tennessee is also expected to contend for its fifth title in the last six years (also 2019-21). It's 12th-place showing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago was the best among the four competing CUSA squads at that event.
Seniors Adelyn Fairley and Marie Hostetler are the lone holdovers from the team that raced to Liberty's most recent women's cross country title (fall 2021 ASUN in Orlando).
Fairley (second place) is one of Liberty's three All-CUSA returnees from a year ago, joining Katrina Schlenker (12th) and Jessia Palisca (19th).
Three other Lady Flames have also posted all-conference finishes during their career, including Hostetler (spring 2021 ASUN), Ava Gordon (2022 ASUN Freshman of the Year) and Isabela Ross (2022 and 2023 Sun Belt while competing for Southern Miss).
Add to the mix Allie Zealand, who has already earned two CUSA Runner of the Week and three CUSA Freshman of the Week honors in her young career. Zealand (No. 4, 20:24.7), Fairley (No. 2, 20:04.9), Gordon (No. 6, 20:31.5) and Schlenker (No. 8, 20:47.0) all rank among the top 6K performers in program history.
Women's Individual Preview
Lady Flames have crossed the finish line first at four of their last five conference cross country championships. Adelyn Fairley opened her career with back-to-back ASUN titles in 2019 and spring 2021 before current assistant coach Calli Doan won consecutive ASUN crowns in fall 2021 and 2022.
The streak ended during Liberty's CUSA Championship debut in 2023, but second-place Fairley is the top returnee from that race.
Fairley, who also took third place at the fall 2021 ASUN meet, will try to join Jennifer Klugh (2010, 2011 and 2012 Big South) as the only Lady Flames ever to race to three individual conference cross country titles. She will additionally look to match Doan as the only five-time cross country all-conference runners in Liberty women's cross country history.
Fairley is coming off her most impressive performance of the season to date. She clocked a 6K time of 20:12.7 to place a team-best 47th in a Wisconsin Pre-Nationals race that featured 20 nationally-ranked squads.
Freshman teammate Allie Zealand, who had defeated Fairley at the previous two races (adidas XC Challenge and Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational), came in 71st at Wisconsin in 20:24.7 in her collegiate 6K debut.
Fairley (2019 ASUN) is the only Liberty women's freshman who has previously raced to an individual conference title. Two freshmen have finished first at the CUSA Championship all-time, including UTEP's Risper Kimaiyo in 2009 and UTEP's Winny Koech in 2016.
Middle Tennessee's Odilia Jepchumba is also expected to contend for first place as a freshman on Saturday. She won a pair of CUSA titles on the track in 2024 (indoor 3K and outdoor 1,500) and finished eighth at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago, just one spot in front of 2022 CUSA individual champion Ruth Jerubet from UTEP.
Fairley (second place) and Jerubet (fourth) are the only returning first team All-CUSA runners from 2023.
Fairley edged Jepchumba by 13 hundredths of a second to win the CUSA indoor 5K title in February.
Men's Team Preview
Liberty has placed first or second at each of its last 21 conference cross country championships, beginning with the 2003 Big South meet. However, it has been more than a decade since the Flames last hoisted the conference championship trophy (2013 Big South). Since then, Liberty has posted 10 consecutive runner-up finishes (4 Big South, 5 ASUN, 1 CUSA).
The Flames are currently ranked No. 9 in the Southeast Region, making them one of six regionally-ranked CUSA teams. Defending CUSA champion Middle Tennessee (No. 8), host Jacksonville State (No. 14) and Kennesaw State (No. 15) are all ranked in the South Region, Sam Houston is No. 11 in the South Central Region and New Mexico State checks in at No. 15 in the Mountain Region.
Middle Tennessee has captured four of the last seven CUSA titles (2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023). The Blue Raiders' seventh-place showing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago was easily the best among the four CUSA teams entered in that competition.
Depth has been Liberty's greatest strength this season. The Flames' roster features six of the top 17 finishers from last year's CUSA meet, and 10 different runners have placed inside Liberty's top five at least once this season.
Liberty put seven runners inside the top 29 to win the adidas XC Challenge team title on Sept. 20.
Men's Individual Preview
Liberty's Azaria Kirwa captured the ASUN men's cross country individual title during the Flames' first year in the conference (2018). Fellow Eldoret, Kenya native Nicholas Kiprotich, a 2023 NCAA national qualifier, represents Liberty's best chance at producing its first men's individual champion since Kirwa.
The 2024 CUSA men's 10K champion on the track, Kiprotich finished a team-leading seventh at this meet a year ago after placing third at the 2022 ASUN Cross Country Championship.
Kiprotich has served as the Flames' No. 1 runner during all four meets this season, including a first-place finish at the season-opening Liberty Challenge.
Tristian Merchant, who crossed the line right behind Kiprotich at the Liberty Challenge, will compete in his first conference cross country championship since 2021. That year, he came in 15th at the Big Sky meet as a Northern Arizona freshman. Merchant's top conference performance in a Liberty uniform thus far was a track victory in the 2023 ASUN men's 10K final.
A program-record eight Flames garnered all-conference honors at last year's CUSA Championship, and the six returnees from that group include Kiprotich (seventh place), Nathan Moore (ninth), Kyle Harkabus (11th), Jack Cottrell (15th), Will Jefferson (16th) and Ethan Pedersen (17th).
Harkabus has collected all-conference recognition at each of his last three cross country conference championships (2021 ASUN, 2022 ASUN and 2023 CUSA). He will attempt to become the sixth Flame to become a four-time all-conference performer at the Division I level. The other members of that group include Josh Edmonds, Josh McDougal, Azaria Kirwa, Felix Kandie and Caleb Olson.
Moore will also shoot for his fourth career all-conference medal. He was an All-Great Midwest performer for Walsh in 2021 and 2022 before making the All-CUSA team for Liberty in 2023.
Three members of last year's first team All-CUSA squad will be in action on Saturday, including Middle Tennessee's duo of Vincent Yegon (fourth place) and Brian Kiptoo (fifth) and the Flames' Kiprotich (seventh).
However, another Middle Tennessee standout (freshman Allan Kiplagat) has emerged as the pre-meet individual favorite. He has finished inside the top 10 at each of his first four collegiate races, including an impressive fourth-place showing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago. Middle Tennessee's Jacob Choge was the last freshman to capture the CUSA individual crown, winning the first of his CUSA crowns in 2016.
The women's 6K is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Eastern and will be followed by the men's 8K at 10:30. Both races will air live on ESPN+.
Women's Team Preview
The Lady Flames are in search of their first conference title since capturing back-to-back ASUN crowns in spring 2021 and fall 2021. Since then, they have notched a pair of runner-up finishes (one ASUN, one CUSA).
After defeating four nationally-ranked opponents during its last two races (Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational and Wisconsin Pre-Nationals), Liberty is receiving votes in the national poll and listed a season-best No. 5 in the Southeast Region.
The Lady Flames are one of three CUSA teams who currently appear in the regional rankings, joining New Mexico State (No. 13 in the Mountain Region) and newcomer Kennesaw State (No. 13 in the South Region).
Defending CUSA champion Middle Tennessee is also expected to contend for its fifth title in the last six years (also 2019-21). It's 12th-place showing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago was the best among the four competing CUSA squads at that event.
Seniors Adelyn Fairley and Marie Hostetler are the lone holdovers from the team that raced to Liberty's most recent women's cross country title (fall 2021 ASUN in Orlando).
Fairley (second place) is one of Liberty's three All-CUSA returnees from a year ago, joining Katrina Schlenker (12th) and Jessia Palisca (19th).
Three other Lady Flames have also posted all-conference finishes during their career, including Hostetler (spring 2021 ASUN), Ava Gordon (2022 ASUN Freshman of the Year) and Isabela Ross (2022 and 2023 Sun Belt while competing for Southern Miss).
Add to the mix Allie Zealand, who has already earned two CUSA Runner of the Week and three CUSA Freshman of the Week honors in her young career. Zealand (No. 4, 20:24.7), Fairley (No. 2, 20:04.9), Gordon (No. 6, 20:31.5) and Schlenker (No. 8, 20:47.0) all rank among the top 6K performers in program history.
Women's Individual Preview
Lady Flames have crossed the finish line first at four of their last five conference cross country championships. Adelyn Fairley opened her career with back-to-back ASUN titles in 2019 and spring 2021 before current assistant coach Calli Doan won consecutive ASUN crowns in fall 2021 and 2022.
The streak ended during Liberty's CUSA Championship debut in 2023, but second-place Fairley is the top returnee from that race.
Fairley, who also took third place at the fall 2021 ASUN meet, will try to join Jennifer Klugh (2010, 2011 and 2012 Big South) as the only Lady Flames ever to race to three individual conference cross country titles. She will additionally look to match Doan as the only five-time cross country all-conference runners in Liberty women's cross country history.
Fairley is coming off her most impressive performance of the season to date. She clocked a 6K time of 20:12.7 to place a team-best 47th in a Wisconsin Pre-Nationals race that featured 20 nationally-ranked squads.
Freshman teammate Allie Zealand, who had defeated Fairley at the previous two races (adidas XC Challenge and Joe Piane Notre Dame Invitational), came in 71st at Wisconsin in 20:24.7 in her collegiate 6K debut.
Fairley (2019 ASUN) is the only Liberty women's freshman who has previously raced to an individual conference title. Two freshmen have finished first at the CUSA Championship all-time, including UTEP's Risper Kimaiyo in 2009 and UTEP's Winny Koech in 2016.
Middle Tennessee's Odilia Jepchumba is also expected to contend for first place as a freshman on Saturday. She won a pair of CUSA titles on the track in 2024 (indoor 3K and outdoor 1,500) and finished eighth at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago, just one spot in front of 2022 CUSA individual champion Ruth Jerubet from UTEP.
Fairley (second place) and Jerubet (fourth) are the only returning first team All-CUSA runners from 2023.
Fairley edged Jepchumba by 13 hundredths of a second to win the CUSA indoor 5K title in February.
Men's Team Preview
Liberty has placed first or second at each of its last 21 conference cross country championships, beginning with the 2003 Big South meet. However, it has been more than a decade since the Flames last hoisted the conference championship trophy (2013 Big South). Since then, Liberty has posted 10 consecutive runner-up finishes (4 Big South, 5 ASUN, 1 CUSA).
The Flames are currently ranked No. 9 in the Southeast Region, making them one of six regionally-ranked CUSA teams. Defending CUSA champion Middle Tennessee (No. 8), host Jacksonville State (No. 14) and Kennesaw State (No. 15) are all ranked in the South Region, Sam Houston is No. 11 in the South Central Region and New Mexico State checks in at No. 15 in the Mountain Region.
Middle Tennessee has captured four of the last seven CUSA titles (2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023). The Blue Raiders' seventh-place showing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago was easily the best among the four CUSA teams entered in that competition.
Depth has been Liberty's greatest strength this season. The Flames' roster features six of the top 17 finishers from last year's CUSA meet, and 10 different runners have placed inside Liberty's top five at least once this season.
Liberty put seven runners inside the top 29 to win the adidas XC Challenge team title on Sept. 20.
Men's Individual Preview
Liberty's Azaria Kirwa captured the ASUN men's cross country individual title during the Flames' first year in the conference (2018). Fellow Eldoret, Kenya native Nicholas Kiprotich, a 2023 NCAA national qualifier, represents Liberty's best chance at producing its first men's individual champion since Kirwa.
The 2024 CUSA men's 10K champion on the track, Kiprotich finished a team-leading seventh at this meet a year ago after placing third at the 2022 ASUN Cross Country Championship.
Kiprotich has served as the Flames' No. 1 runner during all four meets this season, including a first-place finish at the season-opening Liberty Challenge.
Tristian Merchant, who crossed the line right behind Kiprotich at the Liberty Challenge, will compete in his first conference cross country championship since 2021. That year, he came in 15th at the Big Sky meet as a Northern Arizona freshman. Merchant's top conference performance in a Liberty uniform thus far was a track victory in the 2023 ASUN men's 10K final.
A program-record eight Flames garnered all-conference honors at last year's CUSA Championship, and the six returnees from that group include Kiprotich (seventh place), Nathan Moore (ninth), Kyle Harkabus (11th), Jack Cottrell (15th), Will Jefferson (16th) and Ethan Pedersen (17th).
Harkabus has collected all-conference recognition at each of his last three cross country conference championships (2021 ASUN, 2022 ASUN and 2023 CUSA). He will attempt to become the sixth Flame to become a four-time all-conference performer at the Division I level. The other members of that group include Josh Edmonds, Josh McDougal, Azaria Kirwa, Felix Kandie and Caleb Olson.
Moore will also shoot for his fourth career all-conference medal. He was an All-Great Midwest performer for Walsh in 2021 and 2022 before making the All-CUSA team for Liberty in 2023.
Three members of last year's first team All-CUSA squad will be in action on Saturday, including Middle Tennessee's duo of Vincent Yegon (fourth place) and Brian Kiptoo (fifth) and the Flames' Kiprotich (seventh).
However, another Middle Tennessee standout (freshman Allan Kiplagat) has emerged as the pre-meet individual favorite. He has finished inside the top 10 at each of his first four collegiate races, including an impressive fourth-place showing at the Arturo Barrios Invitational two weeks ago. Middle Tennessee's Jacob Choge was the last freshman to capture the CUSA individual crown, winning the first of his CUSA crowns in 2016.
Players Mentioned
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