TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The Kennesaw State cross country teams closed out the regular season with strong performances at the Crimson Classic, held Friday morning at Harry Pritchett Park.

The KSU women placed sixth overall in the 6K, while the men's team finished seventh in the 8K, led by three top-10 individual performances.

Men's 8K

Collins Kipkemboi once again led the Owls, placing third with a time of 23:19.7. Brian Limo followed in seventh place at 23:51.8, and Edwin Kiprono secured 10th in 24:00.6. Diego Fernandes (26:52.8) and Noah Sybert (27:05.6) rounded out the scoring for KSU, finishing 141st and 150th, respectively.

Women's 6K

Madison Seiler paced the Owls with an 18th-place finish in 20:31.7. Emma Ferguson (20:58.2) and Samantha McGarity (20:58.4) placed 33rd and 34th, respectively. Akshana Ramesh clocked in at 21:26.5 to take 53rd, while Samantha Hartman capped the scoring in 67th at 21:43.9.

Quotable

Head Coach Adam Bray

On the Men's Team:
"Our top guys ran great today. Only Alabama had a better trio. Collins, Brian and Edwin all finishing in the top 10 is a huge step forward. That said, it takes five men to complete a team, and we need to improve in that department. I believe we can beat a few of the teams that finished ahead of us if we get everyone firing at the same time."

On the Women's Team:
"We've been training hard with a focus on the conference meet in two weeks. Our women raced really well today. They had to push through some tough spots in the middle of the race but closed strong over the final 2K, which helped us finish ahead of Auburn."

Overall:
"I think our fitness level is exactly where it needs to be. Now it's time to sharpen up, let their legs recover and build confidence as we prepare for the championship season."

Up Next

The Owls will look to claim both team and individual titles at the Conference USA Cross Championships on Nov. 1 at John Hunt Park in Huntsville, Ala. The women's 6K begins at 10 a.m., followed by the men's 8K at 11 a.m.