BEAUFORT, S.C. – Bethune-Cookman Cross Country travels to Hardeeville, South Carolina this weekend for the 18th Annual Sand Shark Invitational hosted by USC Beaufort on Saturday, Oct. 11, beginning at 8:30 a.m. The race will take place at Sgt. Jasper Park.
 
The event serves as the final race before the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championships taking place October 27, in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
Sand Shark Invitational Preview
 
Saturday, October 11
 
Men's 8K | 8:30 a.m. | Course Map
 
Women's 5K | 9:30 a.m. | Course Map
 
Last Time Out
 
For the second time in three events, Andrew Kiplagat set a new personal- and school record for Bethune-Cookman Men's Cross Country as he finished second overall at the Florida State University Cross Country Invitational at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Florida.
 
Andrew Kiplagat, a junior from Chebara, Kenya, turned in a second place overall time Friday morning as he crossed in a new school-record fashion of 24:07.7 – shattering the previous school record held by Kiplagat from the season-opening UNF Invitational last month by more than 30 seconds. Finishing 33rd overall in the field of 317 runners was Bethune-Cookman senior Victor Kibet, the 2024 SWAC Men's Cross Country Individual Champion. Kibet, a native of Eldoret, Kenya, crossed in a time of 25:39.2 – his second-fastest mark of the campaign.
 
Majet Bethely, a sophomore from Lauderdale Lakes, Florida was the third-fastest Wildcat on the men's side with a time of 28:10.4. Teammate Gerrard Griffin followed in a time of 28:18.8, while Andre Sewell, a freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, recorded a finishing mark of 29:38.1 on the day. Meanwhile, Dashon Gill (30:03.2) and Dashawn Buist (31:20.0) rounded out the scoring times for the Wildcats in the first of two races at Apalachee Regional Park this season.
 
As a team, the men finished 21st overall with 517 points, while Georgia (21) ran away with the team trophy. North Florida (91) and host Florida State (113) followed to conclude the top three teams.
 
In the women's event, head coach Garon Jackson saw senior Valencia Butler lead the pack once again with a time of 25:32.4 for the Augusta, Georgia product. She was almost one minute faster than her teammate Riana Walford who finished with a mark of 26:57 on the morning. Bethune-Cookman's Shelvany Goin, one of three freshmen for the Wildcats on the women's roster, was third-fastest for the Maroon and Gold with a mark of 28:49.3, matching that of Seminole State's Madeleine Coffee. Classmate Sada Franco was fourth in team scoring as she managed a mark of 29:43.6 in her first event of the season.
 
It was Jamariya Robinson turning in a time of 31:41 to round out the women's side for the Cats in a jam-packed field of 351 collegiate runners. The Bethune-Cookman women took 33rd as a team. The SEC completed a men's and women's team sweep with LSU staking first place with 30 points, followed by Florida State (51) and Georgia (87) to finish the top three teams.
 
The Field at the Sand Shark Invitational
 
Aside from the host USCB Sand Sharks and Bethune-Cookman, the field at this year's Sand Shark Invitational will include teams from all around the southeast, including Claflin, SAC Savannah, South Carolina State, Voorhees, Savannah State, Southeastern (Fla.) and Winthrop.
 
The Course
 
The course begins and finishes at the Hardeeville School Complex while traversing through Sergeant Jasper Park and the Cooler Property. The course, which played host to the 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2016 Sun Conference Championships, is flat and on grass and trails except for road crossings.
 
Last Time at the USC Beaufort Open Meet (2018)
 
Daniel Kiptoo and Carlin Berryhill led Bethune-Cookman's 1-2 finish at the Sand Shark Invitational Saturday morning.

Along with Xavier Walton's eighth place finish, the Wildcat men's effort marked the third consecutive meet they've had three runners place in the top ten with the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championships a week away.

Kiptoo, a senior, covered the 8K in 25:03.9 for his third career victory. Berryhill followed in 25:11.9 while Walton clocked a 25:36.8.

Bethune-Cookman finished 10th in the 33-team field. Embry-Riddle, which also had three finishers in the top ten, beat Florida Southern for the team title.
 
In the women's 5K race, Bethune-Cookman was 12th out of 34 teams.
 
Deja Davis paced the Lady Wildcats with a 15th place finish in 18:55.7, while Brittany Gill was 72nd in 20:13.02.
 
Follow Bethune-Cookman Track & Field on Twitter (@BCUTrackXC) and Instagram (@BCUXCTF) for all of the latest news and updates. For all Bethune-Cookman Athletics news, follow us on Twitter (@BCUAthletics), Instagram (@BCU_Athletics) and BCUathletics.com.