Cross Country opens 2018 season

Auburn, Ala.—The Auburn cross country team opened the 2018 season with a third-place finish on the men's side and a fifth-place showing on the women's side at the Indian Pines Golf Course Friday. The meet was filled with a strong, all-Southeastern Conference field.
 
Auburn was led on the men's side by freshman Silas Kipngetich, who was running in his first collegiate cross country meet, finished fourth in a time of 18:04.73 over the 6k course.  Sophomore Mercy Kiprop led the Tiger women crossing the 4k course in 14:06.75, good for 18th place.
 
"Today was the perfect size field (five teams) for an opener," Auburn second-year distance and cross country coach David Barnett said. "We had shorter distances, it was a little hot, but today was all about competing head-to-head. We weren't too worried about what the times were going because no one has run on this course before, so we didn't know what to expect."
 
Sophomore Tommy McDonough, ran a strong race in his first collegiate 6k cross country race finishing eighth overall. The Hoover, Ala., native finished in 18:22.11. Other scorers for the Tigers included sophomore Jack Rogers (21st, 19:08.84), junior Ryan Lee (28th, 19:46.10) and freshman Jackson Thomas (29th, 19:47.83)
 
Sophomore Louisa McPherson shined for the Auburn women, crossing less than a second behind Kiprop in 14:07.45, good for 19th place.  Junior Presley Weems (14:30.96), sophomore Emily Mills (14:33.30) and freshman Gigi Maddox (14:40.61), were rounded out the Tigers' scoring, finishing 30th, 31st and 38th, respectively.
 
Friday's meet was the first ran in Auburn since 2012 and a preview of the Southeastern Conference Championships that will be hosted by Auburn on October 26.
 
"We were fortunate to have a lot of local folks and families come to support the team, which is something we don't get a lot of on the road because we travel so far away, so our kids felt it the back half of the race," Barnett said.
 
Ole Miss was the low point scorer on the men's side with 31 points, while Tennessee won the women's competition with 34 points. Auburn had 80 points on the men's side and 125 on the women's.
 
The Tigers will return to action on Saturday, September 29 at the Greater Louisville Classic in Louisville, Ky.