Kentucky Cross Country Gears Up for NCAA Southeast Regional
ROCK HILL, S.C. – The University of Kentucky Cross Country program will venture to the Palmetto State for its second postseason race of the 2024 season, taking on a strong field at the annual NCAA Southeast Regional Championships. Hosted by Winthrop University and Visit York County, the event is set to be held on the Winthrop Farm in Rock Hill, S.C. on Friday, November 15. The meet will commence at 10:30 a.m. ET with the Women’s 6k Race, followed by the Men’s 10k Race at 11:30 a.m. ET.
The Southeast Region consists of all Division I teams from the states on Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. In total, 44 schools will be represented in Rock Hill on Friday. The top two teams in both the Men’s and Women’s races in each of the nine regions will advance to the NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships in Madison, Wis. on Saturday, November 23. 13 additional teams from around the nation will be selected at-large in each gender to finalize the 31-team championship field. Finally, the top four individuals on non-advancing teams in each region will earn selection to the national meet.
The Wildcats enter Friday’s regional meet on the heels of the SEC Championships where the Men’s team finished tenth and the Women’s squad placed 15th. Ed Bird earned All-SEC Third Team honors for his 18th place finish, while Collins Kiprop Kipngok placed 24th in a personal best time of 23:19.4, good enough for an All-SEC Freshman Team laurel. On the women’s side, Ally Kruger led the way with a 25th place finish—continuing her top 25 streak—in a personal best 6k time of 19:57.5.
The Women will be racing the 6k course for the fourth time this season, while the Men will be tackling the 10k race for the first time. Jayla Atkinson, Ally Kruger, Phoebe McCowan, Lyric Olson, Mollie Roden, Jenna Schwinghamer, and Julz Williams are slated to run the 6k for the Women’s team. The Kentucky men are scheduled to be represented in the 10k by Alex Alston, Ed Bird, Miles Brush, Alex Justus, Collins Kiprop Kipngok, Jack Pendergast, and Jackson Watts.
In the regular season, two Kentucky men won individual titles over eight kilometers. In September, Bird took home the Gans Creek Classic title in a course and meet record time of 23:07.6. In October, Kiprop Kipngok won the Bradley Pink Classic in 23:32.7. The wins were the first of both athletes’ collegiate careers.
