Press Release:
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The University of Louisville cross country teams saw a pair of athletes earn All-Region honors as they continued their postseason at the NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships on Friday morning.
In his collegiate 10K debut, freshman Geoffrey Kirwa placed seventh individually with a final time of 29:59.2, leading the Louisville men through the line and putting himself in position to potentially secure an at-large bid to next weekend’s 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Read more: Geoffrey Kirwa, Rylee Penn Recognized as All-RegionThe final NCAA Championships field will be announced tomorrow during the D! Men’s and Women’s Cross Country Selection Show, which will air at 5:00 p.m. ET on NCAA.com.
Kirwa’s finish was the highest for a Louisville athlete at the regional meet since Edwin Kibichiy placed third in 2016 and also made Kirwa the first Louisville male to earn All-Region accolades since Ian Kibiwot did so in 2022.
Rylee Penn also garnered All-Region distinction on the women’s side, placing 25th individually with a 6K time of 21:19.0. The graduate student became the first Louisville female to be named All-Region since Ivine Chemutai in 2019.
With Penn leading the charge, the women’s squad posted their best finish in the team standings at the regional meet since 2017, placing seventh as a unit with a total of 187 points.
Nancy Chepleting followed close behind Penn to complete her first collegiate cross country season with a final time of 21:21.3 to place 28th. Layla Roebke was third through the line for Louisville, finishing 38th in 21:32.5.
Haley Meade placed 41st in 21:37.3 to leap into the scoring five for the Cardinals for the first time in her career, while Lexie Paszkiewicz rounded out the Louisville five for the second consecutive meet with a time of 21:58.8 for a 59th-place finish.
On the men’s side, Kirwa paced the men to a 15th-place finish in the team standings, improving four spots off their 19th-place finish from a year ago.
Gustav Bendsen fought to a 10K time of 31:55.2 to place 76th, while Ethan Meyer closed his collegiate cross country career out with a time of 32:23.0, good for 101st place.
Spenser Wolf finished just behind Meyer in 105th with a time of 32:26.7, and Jack Stansell was the fifth Card through the line after racing to a time of 33:01.8 for 138th place.
NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships
November 15, 2024
Rock Hill, S.C. | Winthrop Farm
* = Scoring Five
DNF = Did Not Finish
Women’s 6K
* Rylee Penn – 21:19.0
* Nancy Chepleting – 21:21.3
* Layla Roebke – 21:32.5
* Haley Meade – 21:37.3
* Lexie Paszkiewicz – 21:58.8
Maddie Seaby – 22:04.1
Lucinda Rourke – 22:19.1
Men’s 10K
* Geoffrey Kirwa – 29:59.2
* Gustav Bendsen – 31:55.3
* Ethan Meyer – 32:23.0
* Spenser Wolf – 32:26.7
* Jack Stansell – 33:01.7
Josiah Hortin – 33:14.0
Innocent Ntwali – DNF
Update From Saturdays Cross Country Championship:
Press Release:
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville men’s cross country freshman Geoffrey Kirwa has qualified for the 2024 NCAA Cross Country Championships, as announced by the NCAA on Saturday.
Kirwa placed seventh at the NCAA Southeast Regional Cross Country Championships in Rock Hill, S.C. on Friday morning to secure an individual at-large bid to the national championship meet.
With the qualification, Kirwa becomes the first Louisville male to qualify for the NCAA Cross Country Championships since Edwin Kibichiy earned an individual bid in 2016.
The native of Kapsabet, Kenya covered the 10K course at Winthrop Farm in 29:59.2, making him only the 10thin program history to dip under the 30-minute barrier on the cross country course.
The national championship meet will be contested next Saturday, Nov. 23 at the Thomas Zimmer Championship Cross Country Course in Madison, Wis. with the men’s 10K slated to begin at 11:10 a.m. ET. The event will be televised on ESPNU beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET
For the latest information on Louisville Cross Country/Track & Field, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team’s Instagram and Twitter account at @louisvilletfxc or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleTFXC.
