Friday, September 4
New Orleans, La.
5:15 p.m. (W) | 5:45 p.m. (M)
Tulane University
vs
Battle for New Orleans
Photo by: Gregory Guignon
Tulane Sweeps Battle for New Orleans in Dominant Fashion
Sep 4, 2026 | Cross Country
NEW ORLEANS – Tulane opened the 2026 cross country campaign on a high note by sweeping the team and individual titles of the Battle for New Orleans at Lake Oaks Park Friday evening. Both the Green Wave men's and women's squads topped their respective leaderboards by wide margins with Petra Dos Santos winning the women's race and Silas Kiptanui taking the men's victory.
The 2026 Battle for New Orleans was cohosted by Tulane and LSU New Orleans and began with the women's 4,000m race. The Wave defended their crown with a score of 18 and an average time of 14:04.9. Southern Miss placed second with 51 points, and LSU was third with 78 points. The Tulane men, ranked No. 22 in the preseason USTFCCCA coaches poll, also delivered 18 points to win. The Wave ran an average time of 14.30.6 in the men's 5,000m. South Alabama was second with 64 points, and Loyola New Orleans notched 79 points for third place.
In the women's race, the Wave tallied the top-two finishers and five of the top six. Furthermore, seven Wave runners placed in the top 10. The only other program with multiple top-10 finishers was Southern Miss, who notched just two. Petra Dos Santos recorded the individual win behind a time of 13:47.97. Blezzin Kimutai was second with a mark of 13:58.44, and the Tulane tandem were the only two runners to post times below 14 minutes. Southern Miss's Aiden Harrand was third to break up the Wave finishers, but the following three placements all belonged to Tulane. Dana Rojas Vazquez was fourth (14:07.03), and she was followed by Dorcas Naibei (14:15.18) and Haley Harper (14:15.98) to round out the five scorers for the Wave.
A pair of freshmen tallied top-10 finishes in their collegiate debuts. Isla Bulmer was eighth with a time of 14:25.16, and Becky Osorio was 10th behind a mark of 14:30.41.
On the men's side, it was further domination for Tulane as the Wave posted the top-two finishers, nine of the top 10, and 10 of the top 12. Silas Kiptanui claimed the victory behind a time of 14:21.74, which checks in as the third-best time in the history of Lake Oaks Park. Transfer Micah Grossman made noise in his Green Wave debut, placing second with a time of 14:24.58, which is fourth best in course history.
South Alabama's Brady Keller finished third, and the next nine racers all wore the Olive and Blue to mark nine Tulanians in the top 10. Paul James Pam was fourth with a time of 14:31.90, and Juan Giron was fifth with a mark of 14:33.10. Transfer Conner Wingfield rounds out the five scorers for Tulane with a time of 14:41.81 in sixth. Behind him in order were Cooper Sorsen (14:45.14), Daniel Reza (14:49.61), and Tommy Rice (14:51.58).
After a dominant performance across the board in the season opener, Tulane will get two weeks of reprieve before returning to competition. The Wave will next hit the course on Friday, September 25, in the 48th Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational. The event is hosted by Loyola Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane cross country and track & field on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
The 2026 Battle for New Orleans was cohosted by Tulane and LSU New Orleans and began with the women's 4,000m race. The Wave defended their crown with a score of 18 and an average time of 14:04.9. Southern Miss placed second with 51 points, and LSU was third with 78 points. The Tulane men, ranked No. 22 in the preseason USTFCCCA coaches poll, also delivered 18 points to win. The Wave ran an average time of 14.30.6 in the men's 5,000m. South Alabama was second with 64 points, and Loyola New Orleans notched 79 points for third place.
In the women's race, the Wave tallied the top-two finishers and five of the top six. Furthermore, seven Wave runners placed in the top 10. The only other program with multiple top-10 finishers was Southern Miss, who notched just two. Petra Dos Santos recorded the individual win behind a time of 13:47.97. Blezzin Kimutai was second with a mark of 13:58.44, and the Tulane tandem were the only two runners to post times below 14 minutes. Southern Miss's Aiden Harrand was third to break up the Wave finishers, but the following three placements all belonged to Tulane. Dana Rojas Vazquez was fourth (14:07.03), and she was followed by Dorcas Naibei (14:15.18) and Haley Harper (14:15.98) to round out the five scorers for the Wave.
A pair of freshmen tallied top-10 finishes in their collegiate debuts. Isla Bulmer was eighth with a time of 14:25.16, and Becky Osorio was 10th behind a mark of 14:30.41.
On the men's side, it was further domination for Tulane as the Wave posted the top-two finishers, nine of the top 10, and 10 of the top 12. Silas Kiptanui claimed the victory behind a time of 14:21.74, which checks in as the third-best time in the history of Lake Oaks Park. Transfer Micah Grossman made noise in his Green Wave debut, placing second with a time of 14:24.58, which is fourth best in course history.
South Alabama's Brady Keller finished third, and the next nine racers all wore the Olive and Blue to mark nine Tulanians in the top 10. Paul James Pam was fourth with a time of 14:31.90, and Juan Giron was fifth with a mark of 14:33.10. Transfer Conner Wingfield rounds out the five scorers for Tulane with a time of 14:41.81 in sixth. Behind him in order were Cooper Sorsen (14:45.14), Daniel Reza (14:49.61), and Tommy Rice (14:51.58).
After a dominant performance across the board in the season opener, Tulane will get two weeks of reprieve before returning to competition. The Wave will next hit the course on Friday, September 25, in the 48th Sean Earl Lakefront Invitational. The event is hosted by Loyola Chicago in Chicago, Illinois.
TICKETS
Tickets for the football, volleyball and men's and women's basketball campaigns can be purchased by calling 504-861-WAVE (9283), logging on to TulaneTix.com or visiting the ticket office at the James W. Wilson Jr. Center.
DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL TULANE ATHLETICS APP
Download the official mobile app of Tulane Athletics. Now, you can stay in touch with the Green Wave anytime and anywhere on your Android or iOS mobile device.
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow Tulane cross country and track & field on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow Tulane Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
GREEN WAVE CLUB
Giving to the Green Wave Club provides Tulane Athletics with the resources student‑athletes need to excel in competition and in the classroom. Your support directly improves the lives of current and future Green Wave student‑athletes and enhances Tulane's competitiveness in intercollegiate athletics. Make a gift today by calling (504) 865‑5356, emailing greenwaveclub@tulane.edu, or visiting GreenWaveClub.com.
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