Cross Country

Louisville and SMU Win Inaugural Cross Country Championships

Interview with UCF's Anne-Marie Blaney
Interview with Louisville's Tyler Byrne
Women's Award Ceremony
Men's Award Ceremony


MADISON, CONN. – With conditions ripe for running, the first American Athletic Conference Cross Country Championships concluded at Hammonasset Beach State Park on Saturday afternoon with Louisville taking home the team title on the men’s side and SMU topping the women’s side.
 
Louisville also claimed an individual title, with junior Tyler Byrne winning the men’s race with a time of 22:57.09. UCF’s Anne-Marie Blaney was the individual champion for the women, taking home gold in 20:19.45.
 
The Cardinal men’s team total of 28 points was the best on the day in either race. Five Louisville runners earned All-Conference honors with top-10 finishes. Following Byrne the entire race was sophomore Ernest Kibet, who placed second in 23:27.36. Seniors Stacey Eden and Mattias Wolter placed seventh and eighth, respectively, with times of 23:52.07 and 23:55.58. Sophomore Japhet Kipkoech wrapped up the Cardinals’ honors with his time of 24:02.03, good for tenth place overall.
 
The Mustang women finished in similar fashion, with six team members earning All-Conference distinction and five of those six placing in the top ten. Freshmen Tova Magnusson and Agnes Sjostrom crossed the line in the top five, with Magnusson’s time of 20:23.16 good for second and Sjostrom’s 20:33.70 good for fourth. Sophomore Melanie Stemper placed sixth in 20:43.91, with classmate Karoline Skatteboe close behind in seventh in 20:49.46. Senior Caitlin Keen and sophomore Holly Archer were the final All-Conference honorees for SMU, taking tenth in 21:03.84 and eleventh in 21:04.19, respectively.
 
Cincinnati’s men’s team emerged with a second-place team finish, led by senior Evan Baum, who paced the Bearcats with his sixth-place time of 23:42.54. Fellow seniors Kevin Fink and Oliver Book also were All-Conference honorees with their 13th and 14th place finishes.
 
On the women’s side, Louisville took second as a team, guided by freshman Benadate Cheruiyot’s fifth place time of 20:41.72 and junior Michelle Molodynia’s ninth-place performance of 21:03.62. Also earning All-Conference honors for the Cardinals were freshmen Adair Gennocro, placing 12th, and Agnes Chepchumba, taking 13th.
 
The third-place teams in both events were paced by third-place individual finishes. Senior James Maglasang’s 23:32.03 performance led Memphis to men’s bronze, while sophomore Emily Durgin of UConn led her Huskies with a time of 20:25.88.
 
For each race, the top two teams earned recognition from The American following the events. The top 15 individual finishers on both the men’s and women’s side were named All-American Athletic Conference, with a full list of those honorees below.
 
The season is not quite finished; next up for cross country teams across the nation are the NCAA Regionals, which will take place on Friday, Nov. 15. Seven of those nine regional meets will include American Athletic Conference teams.

Men's Full Results
Women's Full Results
 
Team Results – Men
1. Louisville (28 points)
2. Cincinnati (75)
3. Memphis (77)
4. UConn (94)
5. Houston (95)
6. Rutgers (147)
7. Temple (202)
8. USF (227)
 
Team Results – Women
1. SMU (29)
2. Louisville (61)
3. UConn (79)
4. UCF (142)
5. Rutgers (150)
6. USF (165)
7. Memphis (173)
8. Temple (203)
9. Houston (225)
10. Cincinnati (231)
 
All-Conference (Top 15 Finishers) – Men
1. Tyler Byrne, Louisville, Jr.
2. Ernest Kibet, Louisville, So.
3. James Maglasang, Memphis, Sr.
4. Yonas Tesfai, Houston, Jr.
5. Brian Barraza, Houston, Fr.
6. Evan Baum, Cincinnati, Sr.
7. Stacey Eden, Louisville, Sr.
8. Mattias Wolter, Louisville, Sr.
9. Anthony Coleman, Houston, Jr.
10. Japhet Kipkoech, Louisville, So.
11. Dan Kuhman, Memphis, Jr.
12. Bryan Fowler, UConn, So.
13. Kevin Fink, Cincinnati, Sr.
14. Oliver Book, Cincinnati, Sr.
15. Michael O’Donnell, UConn, Fr.
 
All-Conference – Women
1. Anne-Marie Blaney, UCF, So.
2. Tova Magnusson, SMU, Fr.
3. Emily Durgin, UConn, So.
4. Agnes Sjostrom, SMU, Fr.
5. Benadate Cheruiyot, Louisville, Fr.
6. Melanie Stemper, SMU, So.
7. Karoline Skatteboe, SMU, So.
8. Brigitte Mania, UConn, Sr.
9. Michelle Molodynia, Louisville, Jr.
10. Caitlin Keen, SMU, Sr.
11. Holly Archer, SMU, So.
12. Adair Gennocro, Louisville, Fr.
13. Agnes Chepchumba, Louisville, Fr.
14. Abby Mace, UConn, So.
15. Martina Rodriguez, Memphis, Fr.

Women's Coaching Staff of the Year
SMU

Men's Coaching Staff of the Year
Louisville