OCU cross country finished their 2020-21 season second in the nation.
The Stars competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics cross country championships April 9 at Seminole Valley Park in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The men’s and women’s teams finished second in the championship with an overall combined score of 377 and earned five All-American accolades.
Zouhair Talbi, junior runner, placed first in the men’s 8000-meter run with a course record-breaking time of 23:45.15. Shimales Abebe, freshman runner, finished as the national runner-up with 24:05:47.
Emmanuel Kipruto, freshman runner, finished 56th in the men’s race with a time of 25:44.72. Milos Pendic, junior runner, finished 78th at 25:55.35. Milan Todorovic, junior runner, finished 102nd with a time of 26:15.92. Jacob Anderson finished 186th with a time of 27:15.38. The men’s team finished fourth with a total score of 131.
Jacinda Kwambai, sophomore runner, placed ninth in the women’s 5000-meter race with a time of 18:07.27. Sharon Koima, freshman runner, finished 28th at 18:20.98. Elizabeth Heffernan, freshman runner, finished 91st with a time of 19:07.18. Macey Currie, junior runner, finished 92nd with a time of 19:07.35. Sarah Olamide, junior runner, finished 117th at 19:20.34. Kaitlyn Heffernan, sophomore runner, finished 182nd at 19:49.13. Cailen Jolley, sophomore runner, finished 250th with 20:45.48. The women’s team placed sixth with a total score of 246.
Abebe said he worked hard throughout the season to ensure his best possible national score and time.
“I’m not surprised I placed well. It’s what I expected from myself,” Abebe said. “I was in such good shape and practiced well.”
Abebe said he trained for the national race as he would any other.
“We prepared well since it was a big race,” Abebe said. “I practice twice a day, morning and afternoon, and I always follow my coach.”
Kwambai said the women’s team placed much higher than past seasons. The team placed 16th in 2019 and 13th in 2018.
“The ladies also performed well; we improved to sixth place,” Kwambai said.
Kwambai said the team stuck to their normal workouts in preparation for the championships.
“We did hill work and mile repeats for mileage and stamina,” Kwambai said.
Kwambai said she reached the goals she set for the season.
“This is my first year in cross country,” Kwambai said. “I really wanted to improve my running and place well. Next year I’m hoping to be in the top five.”
Kwambai said it’s good to watch your pace in cross country races.
“To place in a good position, it’s good to start with a good pace so you finish well,” Kwambai said. “You don’t want to start too hard or you will be exhausted by the end.”
Talbi said he was thrilled to take home first place at nationals.
“The plan was always to win nationals and improve my PR’s,” Talbi said. “I worked hard for it this year, and winning felt well deserved after a hard year.”
Talbi said he felt the entire men’s team was prepared for the race.
“We already knew everyone’s times, and we knew my teammates could win,” Talbi said.
Talbi said he didn’t use a pacing technique during the race.
“We knew we could go from the beginning and lead the race. Me and my teammate, Shimales, we don’t need to stay behind with the others,” Talbi said. “After running 6K, I separated from him and ran the other 2K and won first, and he was behind me in second.”
Talbi said he hopes to continue earning better personal records.
“I haven’t been able to improve my PR yet because there’s not many races going on. They keep getting pushed back to the next month,” Talbi said. “I have one more attempt to accomplish my goals. I am running a 10k May 15th.”
Talbi said this year’s success has left him optimistic and excited for the team’s future.
“It gives me motivation for next year,” Talbi said.
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