Tulane Cross Country Teams Seek American Conference Championships Today
Tulane University’s cross country teams will compete for conference honors and team championships at the 2025 American Cross Country Championships today. The event begins with the men's race at 8:15 a.m., followed by the women's race at 9 a.m. The meet is hosted by the University of Charlotte at Frank Liske Park in Concord, North Carolina, and will be broadcast live on ESPN+.
Race Details
- Men’s 8K Lineup: Bernard Cheruiyot, Silas Kiptanui, Illia Kunin, Gilbert Rono, Paul James Pam, Juan Giron, Tommy Rice, Zach Van Houten, and Rogerio Amaral.
- Women’s 6K Lineup: Blezzin Kimutai, Dorcas Naibei, Elena Rengel-Liano, Janae Dean, Dana Rojas Vazquez, Allison Hall, Haley Harper, Alex Sharp, and Petra Dos Santos.
The top 15 finishers in each race will earn All-Conference honors. Additionally, the top male and female freshmen will be named Freshman of the Year. A new feature this year is the All-Freshman Team, comprised of the top five freshmen finishers in the conference.
Program Highlights
The Tulane men are the reigning 2024 American Conference Champions, with Bernard Cheruiyot earning the individual title, Runner of the Year honors, and the league’s Freshman of the Year award.
Last season, Blezzin Kimutai finished as the women’s runner-up and was named American Conference Freshman of the Year, aiding the women’s team in securing second place overall. The women’s squad claimed the conference championship in 2023.
Last Competition
On October 17, Tulane’s teams wrapped up their final tune-ups before the Championships:
- The men, led by Cheruiyot, placed 12th at the Nuttycombe Invitational in Wisconsin at the renowned Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course. They finished ahead of six nationally ranked teams, including No. 1 Iowa State, with 329 points and an average time of 24:04.04. Cheruiyot finished third overall among 230 runners with a time of 23:10.
- The women’s team finished second at the Crimson Classic in Alabama, behind No. 26 South Carolina and ahead of No. 13 Alabama, with 85 points and an average time of 20:23.4. Kimutai was the top Tulane finisher, crossing the line fifth overall in 19:43.7.
National and Regional Rankings
For the third consecutive week in the latest poll released, both Tulane cross country teams are ranked nationally by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA):
- The men’s team is ranked No. 19 nationally, climbing from No. 23 in September and reaching as high as No. 17 in October. They remain the top team in the South Central Region for the fourth straight week.
- The women’s team is ranked No. 29 nationally, after a strong second-place finish at the Crimson Classic. They continue to hold the top spot in the South Central Region for the third consecutive week.
Individual Accolades
Both programs have received numerous individual honors this fall. Cheruiyot has earned three weekly conference honors (September 2, September 30, and October 21). Naibei and Kimutai were also recognized on September 30 and October 21, respectively.
Upcoming Events
Both teams will compete in the NCAA South Central Regional in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Friday, November 14. The women’s race begins at 10:30 a.m. at Agri Park, followed by the men’s race at 11:30 a.m.
Courtesy of Tulane Athletics
Doug has covered a gamut of sporting events in his fifty-plus years in the field. He started doing sideline reporting for Louisiana Tech football games for the student radio station. Doug was Sports Director for KNOE-AM/FM in Monroe in the mid-80s, winning numerous awards from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association for Best Sportscast and Best Play-by-Play. High school play-by-play for teams in Monroe, Natchitoches, New Orleans, and Thibodaux, LA dot his resume. He did college play-by-play for Northwestern State University in Natchitoches for nine years. Then, moving to the Crescent City, Doug did television PBP of Tulane games and even filled in for legendary Tulane broadcaster, Ken Berthelot in the only game Kenny ever missed while doing the Green Wave games. His father was an alumnus of Tulane in the 1940s, so Doug has attended Tulane football games in old Tulane Stadium, the Superdome, and Yulman. He was one of the 86,000 plus on December 1, 1973, sitting in the North End Zone to seeTulane shutout the LSU Tigers, 14-0. He was there when the Posse ruled Fogelman and in Turchin when the Wave made it to the World Series. He currently is the public address voice of the Tulane baseball team.