Sept. 18, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The Auburn cross country teams were in action today at the 21st Crimson Classic Invitational hosted by the University of Alabama this afternoon. The men earned a third place finish out of 16 teams, while the women took second place.
The men were led by Ben Cheruiyot for the second time on the young season, as the junior placed second with a time of 24:29.50. Also finishing in the top-10 was senior All-American Felix Kiboiywo and Jean-Pierre Weerts. The 2008 NCAA South Region champ finished with a time of 24:55 and placed fifth in his first race of the season, while Weerts was the 10th place collegiate finisher with a time of 25:36.40. Fellow senior Scott Novack placed 18th with a time of 26:04.50.
Also in action for the Tigers were sophomore Jeff Sanders who took 41st after clocking a time of 26:56. Freshman Kasey Hayes, who joined the team this past week, ran a 31:27.70 to placed 90th overall.
Alabama took top billings on the men's side with 34 team points, while Tennessee placed second with 55 points. The Tigers earned 76 points, while Belmont finished a distant fourth with 153 points.
All-American Holly Knight took second in the race for the women, clocking a 17:16.90 in the 5K race. Knight was followed by Laurel Pritchard with a 17:58.10 and placed eighth, while Steph Barnes placed 10th with a time of 18:04.70 for the Tigers' third top-10 finish.
Also in action were juniors Allison Smith who took 26th with a time of 19:03.50, Cathryn Albright (19:10.20, 29th) and freshman Grace Pritchard who placed 35th with a time of 19:25.40.
The women held their own against top-national competition, placing second as a team with 75 team points, behind Alabama who won the event with 43 points. Rounding out the top five was Tennessee with 88 points, Georgia Tech with 115 points, and Samford with 137.
The Tigers will have an off week coming up, followed by the Wisconsin Badger Invitational hosted by the University of Wisconsin on Oct. 3 in Madison, Wisc.