Tulane Men & Women Finish Top Four in South Central Regional

Friday, November 10

Fayetteville, AR

Tulane University

NCAA South Central Regional

Tulane Men & Women Finish Top Four in South Central Regional

Nov 10, 2023 | Cross Country

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Tulane University men's and women's cross country teams finished third and fourth in the 2023 NCAA South Central Regional on Friday. The Green Wave men improved upon their fifth-place finish last season while the women climbed from 10th last year to fourth.

"This is a historic year, but also one that sets a championship foundation," director of cross country/track and field Adrian Myers said. "We will build from that foundation a program that every single fall will compete for an AAC championship as well as a spot in the NCAA National Championship field."

The third-place finish by the Wave men's team is the program's best performance in the regional meet since the 1998 team qualified for the NCAA Championships. Tulane ended with 77 total points behind only ninth-ranked Arkansas and seventh-ranked Texas.

"The men knew exactly what we needed to do to have a shot at making 'the dance,'" said Myers. "They literally did everything they could to get there. That's the mentality of a championship team. We know if we're in the race, we will have a shot. We will continue to load the boat with two goals in mind every fall."

All seven runners for the Green Wave posted personal bests in the 10K race including Bradley Makuvire and Jack Jennings who both beat the school record set by All-American Emmanuel in 2017 (29:41.1). Makuvire finished sixth overall in the meet with a time of 29:25.1 while Jennings followed in seventh with a time of 29:27.1.

The performances by Makuvire and Jennings were joined by Illia Kunin to earn All-Region honors. Kunin landed 11th overall crossing the finish line at 29:44.6. Makuvire and Jennings also automatically qualified to compete at the 2023 NCAA Championships.

Ryan Adkins (30:28.4) and Alan Deogracias III (30:29.7) cross the finish line within moments of each other to round out the top runners for the Green Wave landing 26th and 27th overall.

"Our women had a lot of bad luck with injuries and illness this week going into the meet, but in true championship form they put themselves in a position to compete," Myers stated. "I couldn't be more proud of our women who came together and made it clear they are here to win. We don't graduate a single athlete from this group and expect to be much stronger next fall."

The Tulane women's team recorded the best finish in program history by landing fourth overall behind a trio of SEC teams in No. 11 Arkansas, Texas A&M, and LSU. The Green Wave totaled 139 total points in the 6K race behind three top-20 finishes by Lily Bell, Gemma Rebollo, and Danna Diaz. That trio also each earned All-Region honors giving the Wave it's most All-Region athletes in one meet in program history.

Bell led the way for the Green Wave finishing 13th overall with a final time of 20:53.7. Rebollo and Diaz followed closely behind landing 15th and 16th crossing the finish line at 20:58.2 and 20:59.5, respectively.

Rounding out the top five runners for Tulane were Sophia McNerney with a top-50 finish as she ran a 21:52.7 to land 45th overall and Paula Vaquera who finished 56th with a final time of 22:06.7. Freshman Maddy Luscombe also performed well in her first trip to regionals running a 22:15.5 to land 62nd in the meet.

"Having a total of six all-region athletes this weekend is great," Myers said. "Also having two athletes headed to the big dance is always relevant. To be at a championship that so few folks in any sport ever have the opportunity is special. We will wait to see if Illia can join them with an at-large nod. We will continue to grow and continue to elevate our status as an elite program. I'm proud as ever to be a part of the Tulane Green Wave."

Up next, Makuvire and Jennings will compete in the 2023 NCAA Country Championship in Charlottesville, Virginia. The remaining members of both teams will get ready for the start of the Tulane track & field season.

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