Tulane University
NCAA South Central Regional
Tulane Men Return to Nationals After 25 Years
Nov 15, 2024 | Cross Country
Men's Results \ Women's Results
COLLEGE STATION, Tx. - The Tulane men's cross country team secured a spot in the 2024 NCAA National Championship for the first time since 1998, finishing second at the NCAA South Central Regionals on Friday morning.
"Wow! Talk about a full turnaround—from being 21st out of 21 teams in my first year coaching in 2021 to punching our ticket to the NCAA National Championships just 3.5 years later," director of cross country / track & field Adrian Myers exclaimed. "The men we recruited bought into the vision that this was possible. I took this position with full faith that it could be achieved at Tulane. A lot of people have worked hard for this, including athletes who came before and embraced the challenge. They invested in the identity of the program, even when we weren't entirely sure what that identity would become."
Senior Jack Jennings, a 2023 NCAA Outdoor National Championship qualifier, led the Wave men with a fifth-place finish, completing the 10k in a new school record time of 29:21.1, surpassing Bradley Makuvire's previous record of 29:25.1 set in November 2023.
Freshman Bernard Cheruiyot closely followed, claiming sixth place with a time of 29:23.3, also breaking the previous school record. Earlier this season, he set the 8k school record (22:50.4) on the same course.
Illia Kunin rounded out the top-10 finishes for the Wave, crossing the line in 10th place with a time of 29:44.3.
"Bernard, Jack, and Illia are a real three-headed monster out front, and they demonstrated a warrior's spirit today," Myers said. "They kept charging the whole way, setting us up with low sticks to make it all happen."
In addition to those three, Wondu Summa (24th), Jordan Bendura (34th), Tucker Poshard (54th), and Ryan Adkins (55th) will represent Tulane at the National Championship.
"Wondu came through again with another flawless performance. As a former D2 athlete myself, I loved seeing him grow into a high-level D1 competitor in our program," Myers said. (Note: Summa transferred from D2 Franklin Pierce.) "His performance, along with Jordan Bendura's, really changed things for us. You can only be as good as your 4-5, and they are pretty darn good!
Placing second with 76 points, the men secured the auto-qualification spot, surpassing Texas, who finished third with 84 points.
"I'm so proud of my assistant coaches, David and Rebecca, our amazing support staff, and the sports medicine team, Steven and Eric, who are truly elite," Myers said. "I'm also grateful to the Green Wave fans for their unwavering commitment to me and this program. My assistant coach, David Silversmith, who has been with me for the last year and a half, has been a tremendous driving force in helping to move our program forward."
For the women, freshmen Caroline Jeptanui and Blezzin Kimutai individually qualified for the National Championship, placing second and third, respectively.
Jeptanui finished as the runner-up to Arkansas's Paityn Noe, posting a time of 19:22.9. Kimutai crossed the line in third, clocking a personal best and No. 2 all-time mark at Tulane of 19:24.7.
"Our women have really had to persevere this fall, and many stepped up to fill gaps," Myers said. "I couldn't be more proud of them and their willingness to throw the first punch today. We came up short over the final kilometer, but the growth today was immense. Part of growth is perseverance and adapting. They did both and know that a year from now they'll be headed to the big dance. As always, much love to our support staff for keeping us all together today after what has been a long season for our women."
The women fought hard but finished third in the team standings, missing auto-qualification by 26 points, behind Texas, who claimed second with 81 points.
"You have to surround your program with the right people, both inside and out," Myers exclaimed. "We've done that here at Tulane. Today is a great day to be a Tulane Green Wave. Forever, Roll Wave!"
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