JACKSON, Miss. | Alabama State used three runners in the top 10 Monday morning to run away with their second consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) women's cross country championship at the Choctaw Trails.
The championship is the second consecutive title for Alabama State, and is the eighth in the last nine years. Dating back to 2000, Alabama State has captured 14 of a possible 20 cross country championships on the women's side.
Alabama State finished with a team of 46 points and had six runners finish inside the top 20, including
Arion Span who finished as the conference runner-up. She came across in a time of 18:57.68, finishing behind eventual champion Naomi Kiprop of Grambling State (18:36.03) and ahead of Mercy Chebet of Jackson State (19:01.76).
She was followed in the top 10 by teammate
Shayla Sanders in seventh place with a time of 19:45.91, just 11 seconds out of a top five finish.
Mariyah Archibald (20:08.33) and
Michaela Lewis (20:12.78) finished just four seconds apart in 10th and 11th place respectively.
Hannah Mezidor and
Vinnelle Grant rounded out the top 20 for the Lady Hornets, with Mezidor finishing 16th in a time of 20:21.83 and Grant 17th in a time 20:28.15.
Jackson State finished second with a total of 73 points, while Alabama A&M finished third (107) and Southern fourth (108).
Meanwhile, on the men's side, Alabama State finished sixth with 117 points which was just 10 points of the top three. Texas Southern claimed the championship with 43 total points, while Grambling State was second with 77 and Jackson State third with 107.
Abdi Hussein led the Hornets across the line, finishing eighth in a time of 26:49.80 – just over a second out of seventh place. He was joined in the top 12 by
Matthew Kibet, who finished 12th with a time of 27:05.00; while
Daniel Quizon finished 21st overall in the race with a time of 28:03.60.
Meanwhile,
Ricky Thornton finished 38th overall with a time of 30:34.80 and
Brandon Phillips 40th overall with a time of 30:47.60.
Alabama State returns to action at the NCAA Regionals in Tallahassee next month on the same course they competed on for the FSU Invitational.
Quotable from head coach Ritchie Beene
"I am proud of Abdi, and the way he came out and competed today. We have to get back to the drawing board on the men's side of things so we can give ourselves a chance to compete next year at the conference meet."
– on the men's side
"On the women's side we had people step up to contribute for the win today. Everybody ran well, and I'm just glad we came out with the victory. As we prepare for the regional meet on the women's side, we will have to go back to the drawing board and get ready for the NCAA Regionals."
– on the women's side
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