Judy Chepkoech Leads Gators Cross Country At Nuttycombe Invitational
Florida cross country wrapped up its regular season with strong performances against a competitive field at the Nuttycombe Invitational on Friday in Madison, Wisconsin.
The women, led by junior Judy Chepkoech, finished second with 111 points and beat four teams ranked above them in USTFCCCA’s most recent coaches poll Tuesday. The men claimed fifth place, topping Iowa State and Wake Forest, both teams ranked above Florida.
Chepkoech stunned the competition by running the second-fastest 6K time on the Thomas Zimmer Championship course in 19:19.5 in winning the event. She inked her name right underneath Gator great Parker Valby, who holds the course record of 19:17 from Florida’s last trip to Nuttycombe in 2023.
Chepkoech stayed reserved with the front pack, letting others set the tone of the race. The lead group stayed tightly packed for the majority of the race, not breaking apart until the final 500 meters.
New Mexico’s Mercy Kirarei began to pull away with 300 meters left. Chepkoech and Iowa’s Betty Kipkore responded, and Kipkore was seemingly pulling away with the advantage in the final 100 meters.
Chepkoech exploded on the stretch, making the race a neck-and-neck battle down to the line where she claimed the title by one-tenth of a second.
“I didn’t know if I was going to win,” Chepkoech said. “I just said, let me focus towards the end and maybe the kick will determine the winner.”
Sophomore Claire Stegall was the next Gator across the line in ninth place. She made her season debut, posting a personal best of 19:24.6. Stegall picked off 11 runners in the final 2K, earning her top-10 result.
Just a few seconds later, sophomore Desma Chepkoech finished in 12th place, running a 19:30.3. Freshman Maggie McCormick and sophomore Isobelle Jones were the final scorers for the Gators, finishing 40th and 49th, respectively. Sophomore Keegan Edwards finished 170th to close out the squad in the women’s championship race.
The women’s team saw two compete in the “B” race. Freshman Mary Nesmith ran a 21:27 for a 27th-place finish and junior Ashley Fitzgerald ran 21:46.1 earning her 45th.
The men’s fifth-place outing was led by sophomore Kelvin Cheruiyot’s sixth-place finish in 22:39.6 (8K). Cheruiyot consistently climbed throughout the race, sitting in 26th through the 2K.
Senior Geofrey Ronah finished second for the Gators in 40th running a 23:22. A few seconds later, junior Josh Ruiz crossed the line in 50th.
Rounding out scoring for Florida was sophomore Oussama Allaoui and freshman Eliud Muchiri. Allaoui came through in 59th and Muchiri debuted for the Gators, climbing from 136th place at the 2K mark to 66th by the end.
Senior Ian Sanchez Lopez and sophomore Jonathon Leon closed out the racing slate for the men, finishing 71st and 88th, respectively.
Florida will turn its attention to the postseason with the SEC Championships on the calendar for Oct. 30 in Columbia, Missouri. Cheruiyot will be on the hunt for his second consecutive SEC Champion title.
Category: Gator Sports, Gators Cross Country
