NEW ORLEANS – A successful start to the season for the Tulane cross country team was highlighted by a win for the women's team along with first, second and third place finishes for the men's squad in the Green Wave's opener at UNO on Friday night.
The women's team finished first of six teams, totaling 42 total points. Redshirt senior McKenzie Melius paved the way for the Olive and Blue, finishing second of 49 with a time of 14:51.76 in the 4K.
Redshirt sophomore Bridgid Selfors ran in right behind Melius, checking in at fourth place with a final time of 15:33.78.
"I'm particularly pleased with them being able to hang onto the victory without one of our top athletes, Mary Catherine (Stovall), who is not running today because she's taking the MCAT," director of cross country and track and field Eric Peterson said. "It's a good test and it's nice to see them come out victorious."
The men's team earned a second place finish in the meet, also recording 42 points. Sophomore Evans Kipchumba was crowned the UNO Cross Country Opener champion, recording a time of 15:13.10 in the 5K to beat out the 61 runners following behind him.
Graduate student Tom Coe crossed the finish line shortly after Kipchumba, finishing in second with a time of 15:33.17, while senior Carlos Zervigon finished within a second of his teammate and earned a 15:33.92 finish.
"I know that we're really good up front. Evans, Carlos and Tom, all three have worked really hard over the summertime," Peterson said. "They're coming off of a strong summer of training and I'm happy to see the front end of our team improve the way that it has, especially with the graduation of Emmanual (Rotich) and that hole at the front of our team that you just can't fill very easily."
Tulane redshirt sophomore Reid Belanger finished in the top ten at the meet, coming in eighth with a time of 16:06.80. Redshirt sophomore Pauline Helm and senior Paige Fatland both finished in the top fifteen of the pack, recording times of 16:32.66 and 16:35.02.
Redshirt senior Louise Jones finished in 30th overall with a time of 18:12.40 and and Oneke Gwan came in 36th at 19:31.50.
On the men's side, freshman Samuel Kellum finished in 12th place in the first race of his collegiate career, recording a time of 16:13.25. Ian Valdez and Jamie Polakoff rounded out the finishers for the Green Wave, earning times of 16:36.87 and 16:59.89 to finish in 26th and 29th.
Tulane will have a few weeks off from competing before heading to Thibodaux, Louisiana on Saturday, Sept. 21 for the Nicholls Cross Country Invitational.
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