AUBURN, Ala. – Auburn junior Joyce Kimeli, will compete at the 2019 NCAA Cross Country Championships Saturday at 11:15 a.m. CT at the Lavern Gibson Course in Terre Haute, Ind. Kimeli will be competing at the championships for the second consecutive year after winning the NCAA South Regional last weekend.
Kimeli was just the third woman in Auburn history to win the NCAA South Region, as she claimed the victory by a sizable 15 second margin. That win came on the heels of a bronze medal at the SEC Championships last month.
A native of Eldoret, Kenya, Kimeli will look to improve upon her 106th place finish a year ago at nationals in very cold conditions.
"Just because it's cold, that's not something that prevents me from competing," Kimeli said. "I'll rectify some of the mistakes I made last year."
Kimeli is no stranger to the 6k course in Terre Haute, as she raced at the Pre-National Invitational on October 21 claiming silver with a time of 20:09.4.
"It's a difficult course," Auburn cross country coach David Barnett said. "She thrives on difficult courses. That's something you can't coach. I think it'll be good for her. We've already seen her race well on it. She'll embrace it. She embraces the pain that comes with that. That's why I think she thrives in conditions like that. She'll be ready for it."
A top 40 finish at nationals secures racers All-America status, an honor that has not been bestowed on an Auburn women's cross country runner since Holly Knight was 11th in 2008. Kimeli will look to be Auburn's fifth cross country All-American, joining Rachel Sauder (1994, '95), Janet Trujillo (1996), Angela Homan (2003, '04, '05), and Holly Knight (2008). Homan claimed Auburn's only Top 10 finish in 2004, claiming ninth.
A live stream of the championships can be accessed at http://bit.ly/32i5aw3 and the results of the championships can be accessed at http://ptti.me/19-NCAAXC.