FRISCO, Texas – McNeese's Jacob Kipkogei and UIW's Abby Gray are the Southland Conference Cross Country Athletes of the Week, the league announced Wednesday. Southland weekly honors are presented by GEICO.
Gray paced the field of 59 runners, taking first place individually with a time of 13:34.2 in the women's 4k race at the UIW Twilight on Friday. The senior registered an average mile time of 5:27.0 in the effort and beat out the second-place finisher by 1:16.0, collecting a personal record. Gray looks to build upon her success on Sept. 18 at the Cowboy Jamboree hosted by Oklahoma State.
In his Cowboy debut, Kipkogei led his team to victory with a first-place individual finish at the McNeese Season Opener in Lake Charles, La. The Eldoret, Kenya, native crossed the finish line of the 6k race with a time of 18:33.0, beating the second-place finisher by 2.4 seconds and averaging a 4:58.5-mile pace. Kipkogei and the rest of the Cowboys will be back in action on September 25 when they host the Lake Charles Toyota Cowboy Stampede.
Women's Athlete of the Week: Abby Gray, UIW – Sr. – San Antonio, Texas
Gray bolted out of the gate in the Cardinals' return to action this past weekend, clocking a career-best time of 3:34.2 at the 4k distance. The senior secured first place easily, leading the pack of 59 runners by a 1:16.0 gap.
Honorable Mention: Sorcha Moloney, McNeese; Elsa Rijpstra, Nicholls
Men's Athlete of the Week: Jacob Kipkogei, McNeese - So. – Eldoret, Kenya
Kipkogei wasted no time showing up for the Cowboys, recording a first-place individual finish out of 16 runners. The sophomore ran a 6k best time of 18:33.0 to win the McNeese Season Opener on Friday and helped the Cowboys win the dual meet against Southern.
Honorable Mention: Armando Villarreal, UIW; Miles Kanipe, Nicholls
Southland weekly award winners are nominated and voted upon by each school's sports information director. Voting for one's own athletes is not permitted. To earn honorable mention, a student-athlete must appear on 25 percent of ballots.
