Pasca Cheruiyot made her Missouri State debut a memorable one Saturday (Sept. 20) by setting a course record and helping the Bears wrap up their second straight MSU Cross Country Classic title. MSU recorded the top three finishes and six of the top 15 to outpace second-place Wichita State for the women’s 5K crown in its season-opening meet at the MSU Cross Country Facility. On the men’s side, Oral Roberts’ Jonah Lagat won the 8K race with a run of 25:10.84, while Morehead State captured the team title.
Cheruiyot, a sophomore transfer competing in her first competition as a Bear, obliterated the 5K course record of 18:29 set by Carrie Vestal at last year’s MSU Classic with a run of 17:46.90. The Kenya native’s run bested the field by more than 20 seconds and ranks 12th on MSU’s all-time top performance list for a 5K race. Senior Jamie Vest (18:07.40) and freshman Terry Phillips (18:24.70) also surpassed Vestal’s mark to finish second and third, respectively.
Freshman Nancy Nieto (19:07.30) posted a 12th-place finish, while junior Staci Nelson (19:13.60) and freshman Andrea Marshall (19:19.10) also turned in solid performances, finishing 14th and 15th, respectively, to round out MSU’s scoring group.
Missouri State (32 points), the Missouri Valley Conference’s preseason favorite, topped Valley foe Wichita State (45) for the team title. The Shockers placed four runners in the top 10, led by Olivia Martinez’s (18:36.60) fifth-place finish. Kimber Lemon (18:44.10) finished seventh, followed closely by Irene Kosgei (18:47.90) and Jenna Wood (18:48.70).
“Starting a season against your biggest rival is always a challenge,” MSU head coach Greg Hipp said. “But we stepped up today and performed well. Having a newcomer come in and perform the way Pasca was able to is exciting. Seeing her winning races and setting course records is something we hope to see a lot more of over the next couple of years.”
Oral Roberts (97) finished third on the strength of Kristen Radcliff’s fourth-place finish, while Oklahoma State (120) got a strong showing from Brittani Johnson, who placed sixth, to take home a fourth-place team finish. UMKC (128) was close behind in fifth, and Morehead State (142), Central Arkansas (177) and Evangel (197) rounded out the field.
In the men’s 8K race, Lagat cruised to victory with a run of 25:10.84, eclipsing last year’s top mark and course record of 26:52, turned in by Drake’s Barry Hill. Lagat held off Morehead State’s Ron Duncan (25:16.30), the first of four MSU harriers to place in the top 10, as the Eagles (38 points) narrowly edged Oral Roberts (42) for the team title. Josh Wakeman (25:52.67), Jack Schrader (26:31.91) and Ryan Hudson (26:44.21) also finished in the top 10 for Morehead State.
Wichita State (50) was led by Scott Reed’s fifth-place finish, while UMKC (121), Evangel (129) and Central Arkansas (133) filled out the order of finish.
The MSU Classic was the first of three home events Missouri State cross country will host in the fall of 2008. Next Saturday (Sept. 27), the Richard Clark Invitational will be held at the MSU Cross Country Facility at 9:30 a.m. Finally, the Bears will host the 2008 State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Cross Country Championship on Saturday, November 1.
Next up for the Bears will be a trip to Stillwater, Okla.,on October 4, to take part in the Oklahoma State University Cowboy Jamboree at 9 a.m.
