Florida women's cross country wins NCAA South Regional. — Florida women's cross country won its eighth SEC Championship this year, as well. (Ethan Doan-Imagn Images)

Florida Women’s Cross Country Advances to NCAA Championship

No. 1 Florida women’s cross country has advanced to the NCAA Championship following a victory in the NCAA South Regional on Friday.

Gator runners Hilda Olemomoi and Judy Chepkoech finished in the top five, each completing the 6k competition in under 19 minutes and 15 seconds. Tia Wilson, Claire Stegall and Bethan Morley placed among the top 25. UF women’s team ended with a score of 52, with Tennessee 49 points behind. This marks the Florida women’s first regional title since 2009.

Only two weeks ago, the team secured the SEC Championship, the eighth for the program.

As for the Florida men’s cross country team, freshman Kelvin Cheruiyot finished in first place with a time of 29:09.05 in the NCAA South Regional 10k. The victory is Cheruiyot’s third top finish in his last four meets, and advances him to the NCAA Championship.

He was named the 2025 SEC Men’s Individual Champion after winning at the SEC Cross Country Championships, where he finished an 8k in 23:08.26. His victory secured Florida’s first individual men’s SEC championship since 1983, with Cheruiyot becoming only the fourth man in program history to win the honor.

“The race was good. We started off well,” Cheruiyot said after winning the SEC. “The 4k was somewhat difficult, but I managed to stay with the guys and they pushed me and after (the) 6k, I (said) ‘I’m going to do this.’”

The NCAA Championship will be on Saturday Nov. 22 in Columbia, Missouri.

Category: Gator Sports, Gators Cross Country, NCAA