HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Auburn sophomore Nickson Chebii punched his ticket to the NCAA Championships for the second straight year, leading the Tigers at the NCAA South Regional Cross Country Championships on the John Hunt Cross Country Course in Huntsville, Alabama.
“Nickson was excellent again today,” Auburn cross country coach Aaron Kindt said. “His confidence continues to grow each week, and there was never a point in the race this morning where he didn’t look like he was in complete control of his race plan.”
Chebii delivered one of the best races of his collegiate career, running a personal-best in the men’s 10k (29:13.47) to finish third overall and secure an automatic individual bid to the NCAA Cross Country National Championship meet.
The Elgeyo Marakwet, Kenya native improved on last year’s eighth-place regional finish, where he earned All-Region honors and qualified for nationals for the first time. Chebii becomes a two-time NCAA individual qualifier for the Tigers and earns USTFCCCA All-Region status for the second year in a row.
“The goal coming into today was to finish in the top four and punch his ticket to the national championships,” Kindt said. “He knew he had to be excellent today to make it through, and he never left a doubt. I am very proud of the progress he’s made as a racer these last couple of months.”
The South Region is one of nine regional qualifiers that determine the field for the 2025 NCAA Championships, on November 22 at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
Junior Evan Hill capped a breakthrough season with a strong showing in his first NCAA South Regional appearance and first collegiate 10k. Hill finished 77th overall in 31:34.73. He recorded collegiate-best performances in all five of his meets and finished as one of the Tigers’ top four runners in each race.
Sophomore Joshua Kosgei also made his regional debut, running his first career 10k and placing 81st in 31:39.00.
Eighteen teams automatically qualify for the NCAA Championships by finishing as one of the top two teams at each of the nine regional sites. Thirty-six individuals earn automatic bids by placing among the top four finishers not on an advancing team. Two additional individuals and 13 at-large teams will be selected by the NCAA Division I Cross Country Subcommittee.
In the South Regional, Florida and Tennessee were automatic qualifiers on the women’s side, while Alabama and Ole Miss took the top two spots for the men.
Up Next
Chebii will represent Auburn at the 2025 NCAA Cross Country Championships on November 22 at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri.
2025 NCAA South Regional Cross Country Championships
John Hunt Cross Country Course
Huntsville, Alabama
Men’s Individual Results (10k)
- Nickson Chebii (29:13.47)
- Evan Hill (31:34.73)
- Joshua Kosgei (31:39.01)