MOBILE, Ala. – The Arkansas State men and women swept the 2021 Sun Belt Cross Country Championships on Friday at Brookley by the Bay in Mobile. It marked the first time since 2011 that a school has won both the men’s and women’s Sun Belt Conference team crowns.
“I’m extremely proud of both of our teams,” Arkansas State head coach Jim Patchell said. “We thought we had a good shot at winning them both coming in. I thought our women had a better chance than the men. The men actually stepped up and won by a little bit wider point margin, so they did a great job. They executed exactly what we talked about last night. Both teams just did great. I couldn’t be more proud of them and proud of Coach [Jesse] Duvall – he does a great job with our cross country programs.”
Arkansas State senior Pauline Meyer set a Sun Belt Conference record en route to winning the women’s 5K individual title. She ran 16:51.5 to win her first career conference cross country title after runner-up finishes in 2019 and 2020. Meyer broke the previous conference record of 16:57.80, set by Georgia State’s Hannah Stefanoff in 2014.
South Alabama’s Kirami Yego claimed the men’s individual 8K title with a time of 23:51.3. Yego is a second-year runner for the Jaguars who was a three-time Sun Belt Cross Country Runner of the Week in 2021.
The team title for the Arkansas State men was their first Sun Belt Conference Championship in program history. The Red Wolves scored 32 points, while App State was second with 58 and South Alabama was third with 69. Texas State (101) and UTA (134) rounded out the top-five.
The Arkansas State women earned their third consecutive team championship and their fourth overall. The Red Wolves scored 45 points, while App State was second with 73 and UTA was third with 77. ULM (121) and Coastal Carolina (136) also finished in the top-five.
2021 Sun Belt Cross Country Championships
2021 Men’s Cross Country Championship Team Results
1. Arkansas State – 32
2. App State – 58
3. South Alabama - 69
4. Texas State – 101
5. UTA – 134
6. Little Rock – 142
7. Coastal Carolina – 218
8. Troy – 234
9. Louisiana – 248
10. ULM - 254
2021 Women’s Cross Country Championship Team Results
1. Arkansas State – 45
2. App State – 73
3. UTA – 77
4. ULM – 121
5. Coastal Carolina – 136
6. South Alabama – 162
7. Troy – 179
8. Georgia State – 197
9. Texas State – 233
10. Little Rock – 237
11. Louisiana – 288
12. Georgia Southern - 297
2021 Men’s Cross Country Championship Top-Five Individuals (8K)
1. Kirami Yego, South Alabama (23:51.3)
2. Lexington Hilton, Arkansas State (24:01.0)
3. Kwanele Mthembu, Texas State (24:25.2)
4. Bennett Pascoe, Arkansas State (24:50.8)
5. Seth Waters, Arkansas State (24:52.2)
2021 Women’s Cross Country Championship Top-Five Individuals (5K)
1. Pauline Meyer, Arkansas State (16:51.5)
2. Izzy Evely, App State (17:16.7)
3. Sophie Leathers, Arkansas State (17:38.1)
4. Madeleine Rowe, UTA (17:39.0)
5. Adele Magaud, South Alabama (17:39.0)
2021 Sun Belt Men’s Runner of the Year: Kirami Yego, South Alabama
2021 Sun Belt Women’s Runner of the Year: Pauline Meyer, Arkansas State
2021 Men’s First-Team All-Conference
Kirami Yego, South Alabama
Lexington Hilton, Arkansas State
Kwanele Mthembu, Texas State
Bennett Pascoe, Arkansas State
Seth Waters, Arkansas State
2021 Men’s Second-Team All-Conference
Onesmus Kemboi, South Alabama
Oliver Wilson-Cook, App State
Coleman Wilson, Arkansas State
Justin Botello, Texas State
Ryan Brown, App State
2021 Men’s Third-Team All-Conference
Spencer Cardinal, Little Rock
Ryan Teuscher, App State
Nathan Herbst, Arkansas State
Daniel Smith, App State
Isaac Benz, App State
2021 Women’s First-Team All-Conference
Pauline Meyer, Arkansas State
Izzy Evely, App State
Sophie Leathers, Arkansas State
Madeleine Rowe, UTA
Adele Magaud, South Alabama
2021 Women’s Second-Team All-Conference
Molly Jones, Coastal Carolina
Charlotte Murphy, UTA
Elizabeth Martin, Arkansas State
Marine Garnier, Georgia State
Benadine Chelimo, ULM
2021 Women’s Third-Team All-Conference
Valeria Diaz-Gonzales, UTA
Sharon Jerono, ULM
Karsyn Kane, App State
Meagan Moreno, Coastal Carolina
Jasmine Donohue, App State