Madison, Wis.—Auburn sophomore Joyce Kimeli, competing in her first NCAA Cross Country Championships, finished 106th at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Course in Madison, Wis., Saturday. The race was contested with temperatures in the high 20s after snow fell in Madison overnight.
The Eldoret, Kenya, native got out to a strong start crossing the 2k mark in 31st place before dropping from the lead grouping by the 4k mark. She finished the 6k course in 21:07.52, 20 seconds slower than she ran the course a month earlier under much better weather and course conditions.
"Obviously it was a tough day with the weather conditions, but I was pleased with Joyce's effort," Auburn distance and cross country coach David Barnettt said. "At the end of the day, she beat more runners than beat her so it was a good starting point for the future and as she heads into the indoor and outdoor seasons."
Kimeli concludes what was an outstanding sophomore season. She was Auburn's top finisher in each meet she competed and earned All-SEC honors after finishing fifth at the SEC Championships in Auburn last month. Kimeli garnered All-Region honors with a fourth place result at the NCAA South Region last week.
Joyce Kimeli finishes season at first NCAA Championships
