Gamecock Cross Country Shines in Regular Season Finale

Saturday, October 19

Spartanburg, SC

(5K) 8:00 a.m.

Jacksonville State University

Upstate Invitational

10/19/2024 12:17:00 PM | Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Results (Men)Results (Women)

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – For the third time this season, the Jacksonville State men's cross country team took home a team victory while the women turned in their third top-two team finish of the year. Reigning CUSA Athletes of the Week Dennis Kipkurui and Bethelhem Manzano Jimeno led the Gamecocks in the Upstate Invitational.

"I thought it was a great way for us to wrap up the regular season, said head coach Jeremy Provence, "both teams had their best meet all season and looked really strong. This is the type of meet that gives us the confidence we need heading into the postseason."

The Gamecocks placed four members in the top ten on the way to their third team win of the season, adding on to wins at the Foothills Invitational and the UNA Invitational.

The improvement from Foothills to now has been remarkable. We look a lot more confident and are understanding how to race the 8k," said Provence, "We will continue to work on tightening up the 4-5 gap in our lineup, but I'm confident it will happen in two weeks.

Freshman Dennis Kipkurui led Jax State for the third consecutive meet, placing second with a 24:18.2 8K time, the fifth best time in program history. Kipkurui took home both the CUSA Athlete and Freshman of the Week awards following a third place finish in the FSU Invitational.

Kipkurui was joined by Meshack Kosgei (5th), Mark Roper (6th) and Jack Lowe (10th) in the top ten individuals, all of whom set new personal best 8K times. The top three Gamecock finishers are all a part of an impressive freshman class that has made an immediate impact on the team.

The Jax State women trailed only the No. 6 ranked Division III Emory Eagles on its way to a runner-up placement. The Gamecocks placed second in the Foothills Invitational to open up the season before winning the team title at the UNA Invitational.
"We talked about getting into position early in the race and trusting in our training to finish. They executed well and a runner-up finish as a team is very impressive."

Senior Beti Jimeno starred in her final regular season meet, setting the school record in the 5K with a 17:28.4 5K time. The reigning Conference USA Athlete of the Week placed second on the women's side and looks to take that momentum into the postseason

"I'm very proud of Beti today," said Provence, "We talked about going after the school record and for her to do it in her final cross country 5k ever, it was awesome to see."

The top four on the women's side for Jax State all set new personal bests, with the four highest Gamecock finishers also placing in the top 15. Behind Jimeno, Olivia King and Emily Coddington finished back-to-back in 10th and 11th place while freshman Maxima Majer earned a 15th place finish.

"We should be at full strength in a couple weeks for the Conference Championship and I am excited to see the group compete."

Jacksonville State is set to host the Conference USA cross country championship on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala., the site of Jax State's season opening meet earlier this year.

"The CUSA championship will be challenging. It's a tough conference, particularly at the top. The next two weeks we will work to make sure we are prepared for the challenge and look forward to positive results."