A member of the men’s cross-country team earned a record-breaking first place in the Wichita State J.K. Gold Classic.
The Stars finished the event on Jan. 23 at the Four Mile Creek Resort in Augusta, Kansas, with 79 points and an average time of 20:09.
The team finished fourth overall, behind University of Cincinnati, Wichita State University and Temple University. They were the only non-NCAA Division I team to compete.
Zouhair Talbi, graphic design sophomore, placed first in the 6,000-meter race with a time of 17:40:00, breaking the previous event record by 25 seconds. Shimales Abebe, criminal justice freshman, also beat the previous record, coming in third with 17:49:87.
OCU’s Emmanuel Kipruto, nursing freshman, placed 31st with 20:23:53. Joseph Engel, exercise science/human performance junior, placed 32nd with 21:21:56. Paul Welch, business administration sophomore, placed 33rd with 23:09:08.
Talbi said the team worked hard to do their best in the event and went into it with high spirits.
“We’ve been training so hard, so our fitness was good,” Talbi said “We knew that we would do something good.”
Abebe said the team’s training routine has not changed, aside from wearing masks during warm up and cool down times due to COVID-19 regulations. He said these changes haven’t slowed them down.
Abebe said this year is his first year on the team, after previously competing in track & field. He said cross-country presents several unexpected obstacles.
“I’ve never ran cross-country before,” Abebe said. “The ground isn’t flat. There’s a lot of ups and downs with the hills.”
Abebe said Matt Aguero, head cross country/track & field coach, puts a lot of time and energy into ensuring the team’s progress and success.
“Coach Aguero opened the door for my dreams, so I want to say thank you for that,” Abebe said. “He helped me a lot.”
Talbi said the Stars are feeling confident their success will continue into the rest of the season. He said the team’s goal is to continue securing first place finishes and hopefully have a shot at reclaiming their spot as National Champions in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Championships Apr. 9 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
“We’re going to break a lot of records this year,’’ Talbi said.
The Stars will next compete in the Sooner Athletic Conference Championships March 27 in Oklahoma City.
For more cross-country updates, fans may visit the OCUSports website, or the MediaOCU sports section.
Great reporting! Good job Cross country!!