MONTEVALLO, Ala. – Sophomore University of South Alabama cross country runner Andonet Cheruiyot recorded her third top 10 finish in four races this season as she placed eighth Friday morning in the women's 6k at the UAB Classic. Both the Jaguar men's and women's teams also recorded 10th-place finishes in their respective races.

Cheruiyot eclipsed her previous personal-best 6k time crossing the line at 21:29.38. Warno Potgieter was the top Jag male runner for the second straight meet as he finished just outside the top 30 in 31st with a time of 25:36.83.

Date: 10/12
Meet: UAB Classic
Host Institution: UAB
Place: Montevallo Course (Montevallo, Ala.)

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS
WOMEN – 6K
1. Purity Sanga, Tennessee Tech (20:28.56); 2. Esther Gitahi, Alabama (20:54.71); 3. Megan Murray, Tennessee (20:56.46); 4. Katie Thronson, Tennessee (21:09.77); 5. Mattinez Rodriguez-Sala, Unattached (21:15.49); 6. Shian Mallory, Samford (21:26.65); 7. Rebecca Buteau, Alabama (21:28.10); 8. Andonet Cheruiyot, SOUTH ALABAMA (21:29.38); 9. Nicole Gardner, Alabama (21:30.48); 10. Sydney Seymour, Tennessee (21:31.29)

MEN – 8K
1. David Too, Florida A&M (23:56.94); 2. Caleb Pottorff, Florida State (24:06.49); 3. David Barney, Unattached (24:17.23); 4. Steven Cross, Florida State (24:25.24); 5. Dillon Dean, Samford (24:32.89); 6. Brannon Cheplak, Tennessee Tech (24:35.06); 7. Fedrick Kipyego, Florida A&M (24:49.63); 8. Matthew Kamph, Memphis (24:50.46); 9. Ju Sanchez-Pinto Barrer, Unattached (24:50.68); 10. Kipkirui Samm, Tennessee Tech (24:55.03)
31. Warno Potgieter, SOUTH ALABAMA (25:36.83)

TEAM FINISHES
WOMEN – 6K
1. Tennessee (45 pts); 2. Alabama (61 pts); 3. Southern Mississippi (83 pts); 4. Florida State (137 pts); 5. Samford (142 pts); 6. Florida A&M (220 pts); 7. UAB (223 pts); 8. Troy (237); 9. Tennessee Tech (271 pts); 10. SOUTH ALABAMA (278 pts); 11. Memphis (283 pts); 12. North Alabama (296 pts); 13. Mercer (317 pts); 14. Shorter College (398 pts); 15. Nicholls State (419 pts); 16. Alabama State (443 pts); 17. Birmingham-Southern (466 pts); 18. Marion Military Institute (473 pts); 19. Tuskegee (538 pts)

MEN – 8K
1. Florida State (43 pts); 2. Tennessee Tech (52 pts); 3. Florida A&M (64 (pts); 4. Memphis (114 pts); 5. Samford (116 pts); 6. Tennessee (155 pts); 7. Troy (174 pts); 8. North Alabama (222 pts); 9. Mercer (224 pts); 10. SOUTH ALABAMA (283 pts); 11. Shorter College (345 pts); 12. Marion Military Institute (352 pts); 13. Alabama State (364 points); 14. Nicholls State (367 pts); 15. Birmingham-Southern (411 pts); 16. Lawson State CC (473); 17. Tuskegee (488 pts); 18. Clark-Atlanta (536 pts); 19. Talladega College (540 pts)

SOUTH ALABAMA INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
WOMEN – 6K
8. Andonet Cheruiyot (21:29.38); 29. Silje Lindstad (22:30.25); 88. Shay Lee (23:57.94); 93. Gillianne Sharp (24:11.53); 115. Anna McGowan (27:00.68)

MEN – 8K
31. Warno Potgieter (25:36.83); 42. Nate Pudner (26:07.81); 60. Dylan Pausic (27:10.03); 81. Korey Shively (28:12.28); 105. Larry Lombard (32:18.92)

NOTES
- South Alabama had originally been scheduled to compete at the FSU Invitational on Friday, but changed its schedule due to Hurricane Michael.
- The meet marked the first 6k race this fall for the South Alabama women and was the first career race at that distance for three freshmen – Shay Lee, Silje Lindstad and Anna McGowan.
- Andonet Cheruiyot led the Jag women for the fourth time this season and she has now finished inside the top 10 in three of her four races as she placed eighth on Friday.
- Cheruiyot set a new personal best in the distance with a time of 21:29.38, narrowly eclipsing her previous mark of 21:30 set at last season's NCAA South Regional in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
- Lindstad has now placed 64th or better in all four of her races this season, including three races inside the top 30.
- Gillianne Sharp recorded the seventh top 100 finish of her career at the UAB meet as she placed 93rd.
- Warno Potgieter paced the South men for the second straight race with his 31st-place finish.
- With the 31st-place finish, Potgieter continued his string of top 100 finishes in his career as he has done so in all eight of his races as a Jaguar.
- Potgieter's time of 25:36.83 is the fastest 8k time recorded by a South Alabama male runner this fall.
- Nate Pudner continued his strong showing this fall as he posted his third top 60 result, crossing the line with a personal-best time of 26:07.81 and placing him 42nd. That time is also the third-fastest 8k time this season for the Jag men
- Freshman distance runner Korey Shively also registered a new personal best with a time of 28:12.28, shaving 38 seconds off his previous high. He has now placed inside the top 100 in three of his four races this fall.
- Dylan Pausic finished 60th, the fifth top 60 finish for his career.
- The meet marked the first time in program history that UAB has ever hosted a cross country meet.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Parker Cowles
- On the purpose of the meet: "This was kind of a tune up meet as we prepare for conference; we ran with a smaller squad than usual. We're just trying to make sure that we're prepared for the conference meet [in two weeks]. I thought the student-athletes that did run today ran quite well."
- On women's performance: "A bright spot was the performance of Andonet Cheruiyot; she executed well and ran a little bit fast, but I wanted to see some aggressiveness today. She certainly held on to a great time and a great place in a strong field. I thought Shay Lee and Silje Lindstad did the same thing as well,. They both had really strong races overall. The women that lined up today performed well."
- On men's performance: "On the men's side I thought that Warno [Potgieter] and Nate [Pudner] really performed to their ability. Both were aggressive through the 3k mark, so we gave some time back, but I wanted to see them test themselves. It ended up that the hills on the course got to them, but I thought they competed well, especially over the last couple of kilometers of the race and worked back into it. There was a lot of encouraging things to see today."

UP NEXT
- South Alabama will next return home to host the 2018 Sun Belt Conference Championship at the Brookley Field Golf Course in Mobile, Ala., on Oct. 27.  The women's 5k is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. (CT), while the men's 8k race will start at 11 a.m. (CT).

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the Finish Line Club, the track and field and cross country specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund.  All donations to the Finish Line Club go directly to support the South Alabama track and field/cross country programs.  For more information on how you can join visit:  jaguarathleticfund.com/finishlineclub

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