Championship Central
Individual Men’s Results
Individual Women’s Results
Men’s Team Results
Women’s Team Results
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – UALR and Georgia State University captured the 2012 Men’s and Women’s Sun Belt Conference Cross Country titles respectively Saturday at Kereiakes Park.
This was Georgia State’s first ever Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championship in their first meet in the league. The Panthers were led by All-Conference first team and most outstanding performer Katharine Showalter with a time of 17:41.1 over the five kilometer course.
Under cold conditions GSU racked up 52 points to just beat out runner up Arkansas State at 58 points. Arkansas State and Georgia State both had four runners finish in the top 15 to make up over half of the All-Conference first, second and third team performers.
In the men’s race UALR used their depth to capture their first conference title since 2010. Despite not having a first team All-Conference performer UALR had all five of their runners finish in the top 20 and four of the five finished with second or third team All-Conference honors. The Trojans finished with a team score of 58 points.
Joseph Chebet of Western Kentucky University was named most outstanding performer in the men’s race for his winning time of 24:46.7. Chebet outkicked the closest competitors at the end of the 8 kilometer course. Chebet was in a neck and neck race with Daniel Mutai of Louisiana-Monroe until the very end when Chebet was able to pull away with a win of just under nine seconds.
Freshmen of the year honors went to Troy Taylor of North Texas in the men’s race and Julia Kitevski of Middle Tennessee in women’s race for being the top freshman finishers. Both Taylor and Kitevski finished sixth overall and earned second team All-Conference honors.
North Texas finished runner up in the men’s race with a team total 85 points to just edge out Middle Tennessee in third place at 86 points. The Mean Green finished all five scoring runners in the top 30, including two in the top 15.
Both winning coaches took home coach of the year honors for their team’s championship performances. Chris England of Georgia State University of the women’s side and Milton Williams of UALR on the men’s side were selected by their fellow coaches.
Western Kentucky (83 points) Middle Tennessee (113 points) and South Alabama (139 points) rounded out the top five on the women’s side. South Alabama (139 points) and Western Kentucky (142 points) wrapped up the top five respectively on the men’s side.
Sun Belt Men’s Freshman of The Year: Troy Taylor, North Texas
Sun Belt Women’s Freshman of The Year: Julia Kitevski, Middle Tennessee
SUN BELT MEN”S ALL CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY
First Team
1 Joseph Chebet. Western Kentucky
2 Daniel Mutai, Louisiana Monroe
3 Robinson Simatei, Middle Tennessee
4 David Mokone, Western Kentucky
5 Valentin Poncelet, Georgia State
Second Team
6 Troy Taylor, North Texas
7 Markus Pearson, UALR
8 Felix Maritim, UALR
9 Patrick Rohr, South Alabama
10 Brock Hime, UALR
Third Team
11 Silah Chumba, ULM
12 Matt Rice, Louisiana-Lafayette
13 Shaun Koehn, UALR
14 Matthew Russ, North Texas
15 Enock Kirui, Troy
WOMEN’S ALL CONFERENCE CROSS COUNTRY
First Team
1 Katharine Showalter, Georgia State
2 Josephine Adams, North Texas
3 Kristina Aubert, Arkansas State
4 Salome Lecoq, South Alabama
5 Hannah Stefanoff, Georgia State
Second Team
6 Julia Kitevski, Middle Tennessee
7 Lindsey Hinken , Western Kentucky
8 Rexi Parcells, Arkansas State
9 Vasity Chemweno, Western Kentucky
10 Abby Dixon, Arkansas State
Third Team
11 Samantha Salinas, Arkansas State
12 Niamh Kearney, Georgia State
13 Autumn Gipson, Middle Tennessee
14 Jennifer Rubel Georgia State
15 Marissa DeLaPaz, UALR