Landes, Lokedi Collect Titles at Rim Rock Classic

Rim Rock Classic
Rim Rock Farm \ Lawrence, Kan.

Senior Evan Landes ran to victory in the men’s 8K Saturday at the Rim Rock Classic.
KU Men’s Top 5 Finishers (142 Total)
Name Year Time
1. Evan Landes SR 23:55.6
2. Jacob Morgan SR 24:09.5
14. Dylan Hodgson FR 24:38.0
15. James Hampton JR 24:40.4
19. Chris Melgares SO 24:47.9
KU Men’s Top 5 Team Finishes
(8 Total)
School Points Average
1. Iowa State 35 24:26.5
2. Kansas 47 24:26.2
3. Nebraska 71 24:41.6
4. Southern Illinois 110 25:04.9
5. Rice 116 25:08.7
KU Women’s Top 5 Finishers (93 Total)
Name Year Time
1. Sharon Lokedi FR 20:42.4
5. Malika Baker JR 21:28.2
6. Courtney Coppinger JR 21:32.0
7. Jennifer Angles JR 21:36.4
8. Nashia Baker JR 21:39.1
KU Women’s Top 5 Team Finishes
(7 Total)
School Points Average
1. Kansas 23 21:23.61
2. Rice 50 21:45.84
3. Grand Canyon 104 22:30.91
4. Nebraska 105 22:35.42
5. Cal St. Fullerton 109 22:36.13

RESULTS: MEN  |  WOMEN
PHOTO GALLERY

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Jayhawks swept the individual titles while the Kansas women claimed the team title in successful outings for KU cross country teams Saturday morning at the Rim Rock Classic. Senior Evan Landes earned the victory in the men’s race in his first race of the season. Freshman Sharon Lokedi ran to an easy win in the women’s race, also leading her team to first place in the team race.
 
“We are really pleased with how both teams competed today,” said head coach Stanley Redwine. “Obviously, Evan was fantastic and I thought the men, as a team, did a lot of good things. On the women’s side, Sharon ran a great race. She set the tone for the rest of the team early and I think that helped the ladies throughout the race. The women’s performance was really great to see today.”
 
It was a banner day for the KU women who saw who boasted both the individual and team titles. Lokedi came up with an impressive performance in her first cross country meet in the Kansas jersey. She led a tight Jayhawk pack that managed to put six of its runners inside the top-nine.
 
KU controlled the pace from start to finish, putting the bulk of its runners near the lead over the early stages of the race. Lokedi took over midway through the 6K course and never looked back. The Eldoret, Kenya native built a huge lead on the rest of the field as none of the other 125 runners could match her pace.
 
Lokedi came down the closing chute and crossed the finish to an easy win in 20:42.4 and outpaced the runner-up out of Rice, junior Cali Roper, by more than six seconds.
 
The rest of Lokedi’s squad came in droves over the next minute, with the next five Jayhawk runners finishing within 15 seconds of each other. Junior Malika Baker was Kansas’ No. 2 finisher, placing fifth overall with her mark of 21:28.2. She was followed by fellow junior Courtney Coppinger. She claimed sixth in 21:32.0. Juniors Jennifer Angles (21:36.4) and Nashia Baker (21:39.1) were next, posting seventh and eighth-place finishes, respectively.
 
Junior Kelli McKenna was the last Jayhawk to finish inside the top-10. The Madison, Wisconsin product finished her race in 21:43.5 to finish eighth overall.
 
The Jayhawks earned their first team title at the Rim Rock Classic with their score of 23 points, 27 better than the second-place team and defending champion Rice Owls.
 
In his first appearance at Rim Rock Farm in over a year, Landes kicked off the day for KU on a good note by picking up the first individual win of his collegiate career.  The senior began the race at a steady pace, and stuck with senior teammate Jacob Morgan  at the front of the lead pack for the first half of the 8K race.
 
Landes and Morgan split from the field with a two miles to go and never looked back, putting has much as 20 seconds between themselves and the next runner. With 600 meters to go, Landes took over the lead and never looked back, using a strong kick to secure himself the win over his teammate. Landes crossed the finish with an 8K time of 23:55.6 to earn the victory, which marked the third-straight year a Jayhawk came away as the champion from the Rim Rock Classic.
 
Morgan, the defending champion at the Rim Rock Classic, was not far behind as he claimed the runner-up finish in 24:09.5.
 
The Jayhawks saw three other runners tally finishes inside the top-20. Freshman Dylan Hodgson was the next Crimson and Blue-clad runner to come across the finish, placing 14th overall after traversing the course in 24:38.0. James Hampton clocked in two seconds later, finishing 15th in 24:40.4. Sophomore Chris Melgares earned himself a 19th-place finish after he notched a final time of 24:47.9.
 
In all, Kansas amassed 47 points to finish second overall, just 12 points behind Iowa State, who picked up the team win with five of its runners finishing inside the top-12.

The Jayhawks will return to action on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Pre-National Invitational in Louisville, Ky. The meet is slated to begin at 8:30 a.m. (CT), and will feature many of the top cross country squads in the nation. Log on to KUAthletics.com for a recap and results and follow @KansasXC for live updated throughout the morning.
 
 
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