Jayhawks Show Promise with Eighth and Seventh Place Finishes at Big 12 Championships

Friday, November 1

Waco, Texas

10 a.m.

University of Kansas

Big 12 Championship

Jayhawks Show Promise with Eighth and Seventh Place Finishes at Big 12 Championships

11/1/2024 5:17:00 PM | Cross Country, Women's Cross Country

Big 12 XC Women Results Big 12 XC Men Results

WACO, TEXAS – The Kansas women's cross country team secured eighth place, while the men's team earned seventh at the Big 12 Cross Country Championships on Friday at Cottonwood Creek Golf Course.

"The women had a solid race today. It was great to have Emmaculate back in the lineup, and Dorcas ran with determination. We placed about where we expected, but we know there's room to keep improving," Kansas Distance Coach Michael Whittlesey said. "For the men, we knew going in that it would be a close battle with TCU and Cincinnati for the sixth spot, and all three teams fought hard from start to finish. It was tight from the 3K mark to the end, with only a few points separating the teams. I was very pleased with how everyone competed, especially the freshmen, who stepped up in their first Big 12 race."

The women's 6K race began promptly at 10 a.m. CT, with nine athletes—Dorcas Kiptanui, Kenadi Krueger, Emmaculate Jemutai, Tori Wingrove, Delaney Fitzgerald, Kaitlyn Swartz, Eden Schwarz, Laya Erickson, and Abigail Street—representing the Jayhawks.

Kiptanui and Krueger led the way for the Jayhawks in the 6K, with Kiptanui setting the pace. She maintained her lead at each marker, recording splits of 10:01.927 at the 3K and 17:11.907 at the 5K, finishing with an impressive time of 20:38.174. Her time earned her a 35th-place finish and marked a new personal best. Krueger finished 39th with a personal best of 20:50.202, staying close to Kiptanui throughout the race. She recorded splits of 10:01.627 at the 3K and 17:18.547 at the 5K.

Jemutai (21:21.256), Wingrove (21:29.231), and Fitzgerald all earned top 70 finishes for the Jayhawks, with Fitzgerald achieving a personal best (21:41.247), shaving nearly nine seconds off her previous 6K time.

The final race of the day, the men's 8K, began at 11:00 a.m. CT. Ten runners represented KU in the field: Tanner Talley, Quenton Walion, Sawyer Schmidt, Lenny Njoroge, Ryo Higuchi, Blake Wohler, Cale Littrell, Samuel Trumble, Hobbs Campbell, and Isaac Graff.

"The guys competed well today. We knew it would be a battle, and we fought all the way to the finish. We had individuals step up when needed, and we fought together as a team. That's the beauty of cross country—racing as a team. Now we gear up for regionals." said junior Tanner Talley.

Talley, Walion, and Schmidt led the Jayhawks in the men's 8K. Walion set the pace early for the Jayhawks with an 8:50.368 split at the first marker. Talley then took the lead for Kansas, posting a 15:00.038 split at the 5K, a 17:48.908 split at the 5.9K, and maintaining his lead with a 20:51.188 split at the 7K. He crossed the finish line with a personal best of 23:55.138. Walion followed closely behind Talley throughout the race, finishing 50th with a time of 23:59.728.
Schmidt finished just three places behind, while shaving over 28 seconds off his previous 8K time, achieving a new personal best of 24:06.670.

Njoroge (24:20.135), Higuchi (24:31.860), and Wohler (24:33.435) all earned top-70 finishes, while Littrell, Trumble, Campbell, and Graff rounded out the Jayhawks' race.

UP NEXT:
Kansas Cross Country will take approximately two weeks off to prepare for the NCAA Midwest Regional Cross Country Meet.