The Hilltoppers finished 25th in what is considered the nation's most difficult region, led by the eighth-place finish of senior Joseph Chebet. Chebet completed the 10,000-meter course in 29:55.23 and will find out later this weekend if he advances to next weekend's NCAA Cross Country Championships in Louisville, Ky. Chebet's determining qualifying factor hinges on team at-large selections for next Saturday's race.
Virginia and Eastern Kentucky were the top team finishers, thus advancing all runners to the NCAA Championships.
It marked the sixth top 10 finish of the year for Chebet, who won the individual title at the Sun Belt
Conference Men's Cross Country Championships on Oct. 27.
The Lady Toppers finished 18th out of 37 Southeast Regional competitors, spearheaded by senior Vasity Chemweno's 49th-place effort. The race marked the end of Chemweno's standout cross country career in which she garnered All-Sun Belt Conference honors the past three seasons, finished top 10 on nine different occasions, and won this fall's Fast Cats Classic in Owensboro, Ky. on Oct. 13.
Freshman Lindsey Hinken capped her breakout rookie season with a 54th-place run in the 6,000-meter race. Hinken's debut season as a Lady Topper featured four top 25 finishes, a runner-up effort at the Fast Cats Classic, and a WKU-leading seventh place finish at the Sun Belt Championships to earn all-league honors.
Duke and William and Mary captured the top spots in the event to advance their squads to next weekend's NCAA Cross Country Championships.
Tom Sawyer Park will play host to this year's NCAA Championships next Saturday, Nov. 17.
Men's Results
8. Joseph Chebet 29:55.23
85. David Mokone 32:11.29
161. Sean Hurd 33:45.64
201. Aaron Stevens 34:57.56
219. Lucas Somers 37:41.75
Women's Results
49. Vasity Chemweno 21:48.09
54. Lindsey Hinken 21:53.60
114. Louise Hill-Stirling 22:36.76
146. Katie Lever 23:03.73
170. Brianne Porter 23:28.27
(199). Kim Dominguez 23:57.95
