The WKU cross country team made a strong showing at the Greater Louisville Classic Saturday morning, placing three runners in the top 10.

The women placed fifth overall, and on the men’s side, the Toppers posted the 31st-highest team score.

Junior Marion Kandie placed fifth in the 5,000 meters, finishing with a time of 17:13.25.  Senior Vasity Chemweno finished not far behind, recording a ninth-place finish with a time of  17:23.01.

“The women ran extremely well,” Head Coach Erik Jenkins said. “They are just making improvement each race.”

Freshman Shadrak Kipchirchir, fresh off his second-place finish at the Old Timers Classic, anchored the men’s team with a runner-up finish in the 8,000-meter run. Kipchirchir’s time of 23:21.18 was the eighth-fastest run ever recorded on the 8,000 meter course at EP “Tom” Sawyer Park.

“I’m very happy for Shadrak,” Jenkins said. “I’m glad to see him have another great outing, especially as a true freshman.”

Junior Deus Rwaheru also had a solid performance for the Toppers, placing 12th with a time of 23:58.07.

Jenkins was proud to see the continued improvement of both teams, especially as the postseason looms in the future.

“Our front-runners had another great outing and everybody’s getting better,” Jenkins said. “We’ve just got to continue to stay healthy.” 
Tom Sawyer Park is the also site of the NCAA Southeast Regional on Nov. 13. WKU’s next meet, the ISU Pre-Nationals, is set for Oct. 16.