NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Endalow Takele made a huge splash in the opener of the cross country season as he posted the top individual time to win the Belmont Opener over top regional competition on Saturday morning, while teammate Aaron Stevens notched a Top 15 finish.
The individual title for Takele was the first of his career as he raced out to a time of 15:15.5. He became the first Hilltopper runner to take the top honors at an event since David Makone won the 2013 Evansville Invitational.
"Endalow and Aaron did a good job today leading the group," said head coach Erik Jenkins. "Endalow outpaced the rest of a competitive field to earn his first collegiate individual championship, and we are happy for him. We will keep working hard to develop a competitive team."
Stevens was the second WKU runner to complete the course at Percy Warner Park with a time of 15.51.2 to secure 12th at the meet, the highest finish for him since placing eighth at the 2013 Evansville Invitational. Julien Cuyeu (17:11.0), Sam Porter (17:25.9) and Mark Stice (18:05.9) rounded out the scoring for the Hilltoppers.
Conference USA foe Middle Tennessee came away with the most wins in the dual-meet format with six, followed by Lipscomb (5) and Belmont (4). WKU picked up a win over Tennessee State.
The WKU women's cross country team will open its season on Friday, Sept. 11, at the Forest Park Cross Country Festival in St. Louis.
| Men's 5K | |
|---|---|
| Endalow Takele | 15:15.5 |
| Aaron Stevens | 15:51.2 |
| Julien Cuyeu | 17:11.0 |
| Sam Porter | 17:25.9 |
| Mark Stice | 18:05.9 |
| Kyle Wilson | 19:56.7 |
