MIDWAY, Ky. – The University of Pikeville men's and women's cross-country teams ran in the Midway University XC Invitational Friday evening.
The men's team had two top four finishes with Kerepei Meshack taking third with a time of 26:49.94. One spot behind Meshack was Kelvin Kurgat with a time of 27:11.37. Newcomer Joshua Martinez ran a 28:41.05, good for 15^th place. Rounding out the times on the men's side were Bruce Coleman with a 32:11.23 and Carter Hamilton with a 40:38.30. As a team, the men's squad came in fifth place out of six.
On the women's side, Michelle Kemboi and Morgan Tuttle had the Bears' best two times. Kemboi ran a 32:49.71 and came in 29^th place while Tuttle ran a 32:59.91 and came in 30^th. Eight spots behind Tuttle was Jasmine Meade, who ran a 39:57.00. Four seconds behind Meade was Ali Cantrell. Rounding out the times for UPike were Shelby Stump with a time of 41:08.52 and Ryleigh Absher with a time of 41:24.02. The women's team came in sixth place out of six.
"Hilly and hot, a tough XC course, especially for our first 6k/8k. Despite that, the Bears did awesome. On the women side, one of the best 6k openers for the women, having two finish in the top 30 is a great sign, with a ton of potential to grow overall as we get into mid-season form. On the men side, having 3 gentleman finish in the top 15, while also setting all time marks in UPike's history is an incredible way to race our first official 8k. Nearly everyone on our squad set new PR's, an overall huge success across the board. Exciting for what's ahead," said UPike Cross Country Head Coach Anthony Kowalczyk.
The cross-country Bears will be back in action next Friday in Bristol, Tenn., for the Eli Cramer Invitational hosted by Milligan University.