RCW: Sport Spotlight 4.8 (Cross Country)

Lokedi leads Jayhawks with 8th place finish at Pre-Nationals. #KUxc #PreNats

?? https://t.co/SWqpmOGp0d pic.twitter.com/xIMesCRO3V

— Kansas Cross Country (@KansasXC) October 14, 2017

That feeling when you’re named #Big12XC Female Runner of the Week. ?? #KUxc

A post shared by Kansas Track and Field (@kutrack) on Oct 17, 2017 at 1:03pm PDT

Kansas women’s cross country runner and two-time All-American, junior Sharon Lokedi, made her 2017 season debut on October 14 at the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, Kentucky. Running against the nation’s best, Lokedi proved her name should be included in a list of national title contenders.
 
Running with the front of the pack from start to finish, Lokedi looked to be in mid-season form, despite it being her first race of the season.
 
Two kilometers into the 6K race, Lokedi was in fifth place but was able to make a move up to second by the 4K mark. Needing a strong final third of the race, she was unable to stay in second, and ultimately fell back to finish eighth.
 
Her finish was nothing to be concerned about, however. Lokedi finished 10th at the 2016 Pre-National Invitational before ultimately winning the Big 12 Conference individual title and finishing fifth at the NCAA Cross Country Championships to earn her second All-America honor.
 
Lokedi’s performance at this year’s Pre-Nats earned her a Big 12 Female Runner of the Week nod on October 17, the second time she has won the award in her career.
 
If 2017 is anything like 2016, Lokedi’s performance at this year’s Pre-National meet shows she is poised to have yet another successful championship season.
 
Lokedi and the Jayhawks will next compete at the Big 12 Cross Country Championship on October 28 at Old Settlers Park in Round Rock, Texas, before traveling to Ames, Iowa, for the NCAA Midwest Regional Championships on November 10.