From Kenya to Columbia: Cheruiyot and the Gators Chase NCAA Glory in the Cross Country Championship.
The Florida men’s cross country team competes this Saturday at the biggest stage, the NCAA Division I Championships at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course in Columbia, Missouri. The men’s 10K will feature 32 qualifying teams and a competitive field of individual qualifiers racing over a rolling, spectator-friendly loop course.
For newcomers to cross country, here’s what to expect: each team can have up to seven runners, with the top five scoring points based on their finish (1 point for first, 2 for second, etc.). The team with the lowest total wins, and individual runners aim for All-American honors by finishing in the top 40 overall.
Florida will be represented by freshman sensation Kelvin Cheruiyot from Samitui, Kenya. Cheruiyot has already had a historic debut season, winning SEC Men’s Runner of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards while winning the conference individual title.
He followed that by dominating the NCAA South Regional 10K with a time of 29:09.1, the fastest in the field, to secure his spot at nationals. He’ll line up in Columbia, aiming to compete with the nation’s best and contend for an All-American finish.
Around Cheruiyot, Florida’s men have quietly built one of the program’s most promising young groups in years. Fellow freshman Oussama Allaoui (Ifrane, Morocco) has impressive track credentials as a 3:38 1500-meter runner. He earned All-Region honors with a strong race to 21st at the South Regional.
Sophomore Jonathan Leon offers consistency and strength among the pack after finishing 33rd at regionals and ranking as one of Florida’s top three runners later in the season.
Florida’s roster includes sophomore Riley Novack, a dependable runner who placed 40th at the South Regional and was a former state medalist and national meet qualifier in high school.
Sophomore Josh Ruiz was a key scorer at regionals and has contributed to the team’s depth in the longer 10K races.
Freshman Alejandro de Bastos gained valuable experience simply by competing at the NCAA South meet, where the Gators finished seventh as a team—their best regional finish since 2015.
The group is rounded out by redshirt freshman Graham Myers, sophomore Gavin Nelson and Gainesville native sophomore Riley Smith.
On Saturday, Cheruiyot will compete against a strong field that includes top programs like New Mexico, Oklahoma State, Northern Arizona, Notre Dame and Syracuse, all bringing multiple nationally ranked runners to Columbia.
For Florida fans, the main storyline will be whether Cheruiyot can stay near the lead group and if this young men’s team can leverage the momentum to achieve great heights.
Category: Gators Cross Country, NCAA Tournament
