Tulane University
American Athletic Conference Championship
Cross Country Wraps Up AAC Championship in Memphis
Nov 1, 2019 | Cross Country
MEMPHIS, Tennessee – The Tulane cross country team competed in the American Athletic Conference Championships on Friday morning, with sophomore Evans Kipchumba and redshirt senior McKenzie Melius leading the way for the Green Wave in their respective races at Shelby Farms Park.
Kipchumba was the first to cross the finish line for Tulane, recording a time of 25:39 in the 8K to finish in 34th. Graduate student Tom Coe was right behind Kipchumba, checking in in 42nd overall at 25:57.
Senior Carlos Zervigon was next up for the Olive and Blue, finishing in 50th with a time of 26:19, and was followed by freshman Samuel Kellum in 62nd at 26:53 and sophomore Ian Valdez in 68th at 28:36.
The men's team averaged a time of 26:41 in the race, beating USF to finish ninth overall. Tulsa earned the AAC Championship title, while Cincinnati's Aaron Bienenfeld was the individual champion with a time of 23:44.
Redshirt senior McKenzie Melius and redshirt sophomore Bridgid Selfors finished the women's 6K within seconds of one another, as Melius finished with a time of 22:19 in 46th and Selfors finished with a time of 22:21 in 49th.
Senior Mary Catherine Stovall recorded a 65th-place finish with a time of 22:55, with redshirt sophomore Reid Belanger up next in 72nd with a new personal best time of 23:38. Senior Paige Fatland also earned a personal record in the conference championship, finishing in 23:53 to stand in 74th. Redshirt sophomore Pauline Helm rounded out the runners on Tulane women's team, notching a 77th-place finish with a time of 24:33.
Averaging a 23:02 time in the 6K, the Tulane women finished in 12th overall. Tulsa also won the women's conference championship, while Wichita State's Winny Koskei was the first to finish the race with a time of 20:15.
"This is a very disappointing finish for both teams," head coach Eric Peterson said. "We were hoping for more of a mid-pack finish, but we couldn't seem to establish anything positive early in the race to generate positive momentum. It's an unacceptable result for our program and we're going to work very hard to correct it."
The Green Wave are set to head to Fayetteville, Arkansas in two weeks, competing in the NCAA South Central Regional on Friday, Nov. 15.
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