The Alabama Crimson Tide women’s and men’s teams each achieved a third place win at the Joe Piane Invitational in South Bend, Indiana. The No. 22 women’s team earned 73 points, and the No. 27 men’s earned 114.
Freshman Doris Lemngole led the women’s team with her second consecutive first place in her second-ever career run. She finished with a time of 16:05.9 to win the women’s blue individual crown in the women’s 5K. Along with Lemngole, sophomore Hilda Olemomoi and freshman Joy Gill rounded out the top 11 of the 5K to help secure a top three placing.
“Overall, we had a very good day against one of the nation’s strongest fields,” head coach Dan Waters said. “Doris won her second title in as many meets for the women, and Victor and Hillary both earned top three finishes for the men.”
For the men’s 5-mile race, junior Hillary Cheruiyot finished second with a time of 23:10.6, and junior Victor Kiprop placed third with a time of 23:12.3. They were both within four seconds of first place. Rounding out in 25th place, senior Eliud Kipsang finished with a time of 24:04.0 to help the Crimson Tide secure a top three finish.
After the meet, Waters said, “To have this type of meet, against this kind of competition, was huge for us as we move toward postseason. Our women went head-to-head with two of the best teams in the country, and I’m proud of how our lineup raced today. For it being their first race of the season, our top three guys — Hillary, Victor and Eliud — did really well. The rest of our guys did a good job of sticking to the race plan.”
This was the third meet of the season for the cross-country teams. Previously, the men’s and women’s cross-country teams placed third and fourth, respectively, at the Southern Showcase. Their next meet is at home, in Tuscaloosa at the Crimson Classic to finish their regular season Oct. 13.
“Collectively, I’m proud of how we represented the Crimson Tide today, gaining some great experience that we will carry with us as we look to close out the regular season at home next month,” Waters said.
