TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – For the first time in Bethune-Cookman program history, the Wildcats men's cross country program takes the Southwestern Athletic Conference Championship, Monday morning at Apalachee Regional Park.
For the second straight season, the Wildcat men took home the individual championship, as sophomore
Andrew Kiplagat's magical season concluded with a 24:48.7 finish, just under an entire minute faster than the next closest runner. He was named SWAC Runner of the Year for his perfomance.
Teammate and 2024 individual champion
Victor Kibet finished third, running a 26:00.8.
Next up for the Wildcats was
Majet Bethely, finishing ninth with a 27:24.8. He was followed by
Dashon Gill, finishing 22nd with a 28:46.0.
Andrew Sewel,
Jalen Jackson, and
Dashawn Buist rounded out the field at 25th, 40th, and 45th, respectively as the Wildcats finished the day with 58 points to take the historic title.
Texas Southern and Prairie View A&M rounded out the top three on the men's side with 66 and 68 points.
Head Coach
Garon Jackson was named SWAC Coach of the Year following the men's race.
For the women, the Wildcats were paced by
Valencia Butler, who finished 15th overall with a time of 19:57.5.
Shelvany Goin was close behind at 20th, running a 20:34.1.
Sada Franco finished 41st with a time of 22:15.1, followed by
Morgan Middleton at 52nd with a 23:15.1 and finally Betina Jean at 63rd with a 29:44.7.
Alabama State took the women's title with 45 points, followed by Alabama A&m with 50 and Texas Southern with 65 to close out the top three. B-CU finished seventh as a team with 182 points.
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