Tulane University
Pre-Nationals
Tulane Makes Waves at Pre-Nats
Oct 19, 2024 | Cross Country
MADISON, Wi. - The Tulane cross country program delivered a strong performance at the Wisconsin Pre-Nationals on Saturday morning. Both teams competed in the "A" division against several top-ranked teams from the USTFCCCA's top 30.
"This is a momentous day for our program as a whole," director of cross country / track & field Adrian Myers said. "The best team and individual performance ever put together. I couldn't be more proud of my coaches, staff, and our athletes today. We stepped up to the big leagues and hit some home runs but also made enough errors to see enormous upside still this year."
A historic result unfolded in the men's race as the Wave secured 20th place in the team standings with 503 points, surpassing five nationally ranked teams: No. 13 Washington, No. 14 Michigan, No. 27 Florida State, No. 28 Air Force, and No. 29 Texas.
"This is the best meet in the NCAA outside of the National Championships itself," Myers stated. "With that said, our men came out and delivered by beating a slew of NCAA top-30 programs today. The road to NCAAs will go through Uptown, New Orleans."
It was a true team effort today, with Jack Jennings leading the Olive and Blue by finishing 41st with a time of 23:25.3.
"Jack is a real gamer," Myers said. "You can always count on him to deliver on time and when you need him most. He found a way to work through the field and enter the final Kilometer in a position to establish himself as one of the NCAA elites once again. I am so proud to see him continue to grow in our program."
Following him was school-record holder Bernard Cheruiyot, who placed 49th with a time of 23:30.5, while Illia Kunin clocked in at 23:52.9 for 98th place.
Wondu Summa made an impressive move through the field, climbing 87 spots after 2k and becoming a key contender for the Wave, finishing 128th at 24:08.1. Jordan Bendura rounded out the top five, finishing 199th with a time of 24:40.1.
Freshman Caroline Jeptanui put on an impressive showing in the women's 6k, clocking in at 19:05.4 to secure third place in a strong field. Notably, all of the top six finishers in the women's race broke the previous Thomas Zimmer Championship Course record of 19:17.2, set by 2023 NCAA Champion Parker Valby. Jeptanui led the Wave women to a 28th place team finish with 595 points.
"Caroline once again showed she is a legit contender for the NCAA national title this fall," Myers explained. "She put herself in a position to test what she's made of and again entered the final stretch with a chance to win. I am so proud of this young woman and her fight. It's unmatched."
Freshman Blezzin Kimutai followed Jeptanui, placing 44th with a time of 20:11.0. Paula Vaquera finished 164th at 21:06.8, while Danna Diaz and Lily Porth rounded out the top five, placing 181st (21:12.7) and 213th (21:35.7), respectively.
"Our women performed well but left a lot of points on the table that we realize," Myers stated. "We will put a perfect race together in the coming weeks which will challenge us to be great. I cannot wait to see our women rise from this again and enter AACs with the intent of defending our trophy."
Next up, the Wave will compete at the American Athletic Conference Championship, hosted by Wichita State on Saturday, November 2.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane cross country and track & field on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
WE ARE NOLA BUILT
Tulane University is located in the city of New Orleans. It is a city built on tradition and resiliency. The lessons Green Wave student-athletes have learned through their connection with this university and city have BUILT doctors, lawyers, business leaders, conference champions, all-conference players, All-Americans, professional athletes and NCAA tournament teams. The city of New Orleans has shaped us into who we are today. We are One City. We are Tulane. We are NOLA BUILT. Check out our story at NolaBuilt.com.
Players Mentioned
