HAMPTON, Ga. – Three South Alabama women – Andonet Cheruiyot (first team), Carolien Millenaar (second team) and Silje Linstad (third team) – took home all-conference honors, and three South Alabama men – Onesmus Kemboi (second team), Warno Potgieter (second team) and Thomas Sand (third team) – also received all league honors with their top 15 finishes Saturday morning at the Sun Belt Conference Cross Country Championships held at Nash Farms Battlefield Park. Kemboi was also selected as the Sun Belt's Newcomer of the Year.

The South Alabama women were edged out in the 5k team standings as the finished with 65 points, just eight points behind Arkansas State. The Jaguar men placed sixth in the 8k race with 101 points.

Date: 11/2
Meet: 2019 Sun Belt Championships
Host: Georgia State
Place: Nash Farms Battlefield Park (Hampton, Ga.)

TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS
WOMEN'S – 5K
1. Lotte Meyberg, Georgia State (17:11.7); 2. Pauline Meyer, Arkansas State (17:26.6); 3. Andonet Cheruiyot, SOUTH ALABAMA (17:36.9); 4. Angela Alonso, Georgia State (17:38.4); 5. Sarah Venable, Appalachian State (17:42.6); 6. Elizabeth Gillette, Arkansas State (17:45.6); 7. Carolien Millenaar, SOUTH ALABAMA (17:52.8); 8. Lisha Van Onselen, Coastal Carolina (17:54.4); 9. Izzy Evely, Appalachian State (17:58.4); 10. Sydney Cole, Texas State (18:00.3)

MEN'S – 8K
1. Nadeel Wildschutt, Coastal Carolina (23:29.0); 2. Adrian Wildschutt, Coastal Carolina (23:34.3); 3. Justin Domangue, UTA (24:13.1); 4. Issac Benz, Appalachian State (24:21.6); 5. Ryan Brown, Appalachian State (24:29.0); 6. Bennett Pascoe, Arkansas State (24:37.5); 7. Onesmus Kemboi, SOUTH ALABAMA (24:38.5); 8.  Justin Botello, Texas State (24:45.3); 9. Warno Potgieter, SOUTH ALABAMA (24:48.7); 10. Oliver Wilson-Cook, Appalachian State (24:56.7)

TEAM FINISHES
WOMEN'S – 5K
1. Arkansas State (57 pts); 2. SOUTH ALABAMA (65 pts); 3. Appalachian State (78 pts); 4. Texas State (112 pts); 5. UTA (126 pts); 6. Georgia State (135 pts); 7. Troy (176 pts); 8. Coastal Carolina (225 pts); 9. Little Rock (242 pts); 10. Georgia Southern (258 pts); 11. Louisiana (313 pts); 12. ULM (329 pts)

MEN'S – 8K
1. Appalachian State (48 pts); 2. Arkansas State (82 pts); 3. Coastal Carolina (83 pts); 4. UTA (90 pts); 5. Texas State (92 pts); 6. SOUTH ALABAMA (101 pts); 7. Little Rock (201 pts); 8. Troy (210 pts); 9. ULM (258 pts); 10. Louisiana (265 pts)

SOUTH ALABAMA INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
WOMEN'S – 5K
3. Andonet Cheruiyot (17:36.9); 7. Carolien Millenaar (17:52.8); 15. Silje Lindstad (18:08.9); 17. Alyse Henry (18:13.6); 23. Susanna Pudner (18:26.1); 29. Adele Magaud (18:44.7); 39. Abbey Weitenbeck (19:97.7)

MEN'S – 8K
7. Onesmus Kemboi (24:38.5); 9. Warno Potgieter (24:48.7); 11. Thomas Sand (24:58.6); 35. Nate Pudner (26:14.1); 39. Charlie Slaughter (26:28.3); 41. Lance Cunigan (26:35.6); 48. Caleb Smith (27:10.4)

NOTES
- The first-team honor was the second-straight for Cheruiyot, while the second-team honor for Millenaar was her second of her career and first since taking home third-team accolades as a freshman.
- The honor was the first of Lindstad's career as the sophomore has now finished inside the top 25 in all five of her races this fall.
- With her third-place finish, Cheruiyot has finished inside the top 5 in each of her five races this season eight of her 11 events since transferring to South Alabama.
- Lindstad (18:08.9) and S. Pudner (18:26.1) both set new personal best in the 5k.
- With his seventh-place finish, Kemboi has now recorded a top 10 finish in all five of his meets this fall and 10 of his last 12 collegiate meets.
- Potgieter has now earned all-conference honors at the SBC Championship meet all three of his season and picked up second-team honors in back-to-back races.
- The third-team all-conference honor was the first all-league recognition for Sand. The sophomore improved his position 26 spots from last season's conference meet.
- The three runners earning all-conference honors marked the first time since 2015 that the women have done so when they had four, Joanna McCoy (first team), Laura Labuschaigne, Ashley Heitling and Nicole Durham each earned second-team honors on the women's side.
- The men also had three athletes earn all-conference honors for the first time since the 2014 meet when Christoph Graph and Michael Pienaar earned first-team accolades and Patrick Roher received third-team honors.

THEY SAID IT
Head coach Parker Cowles
- On the women's race: "Arkansas State ran very well today. There were a few adjustments that I might should've made as a coach and some things that we didn't approach quite as well as we should've; I think we got out a little fast at the front end, but the women really gave it their all and ran hard. We just came up a little short in a close team race against Arkansas State. Our performance today was a big improvement over last year. We're pleased with our second-place finish, but we did have hopes of doing better today."
- On the men's race: "We ran really well at our Nos. 1, 2 and 3 spots on the men's side today. I think we just came up short. I believe we were 18 points behind second place and ended up sixth in a really tight race. We were just on the wrong side of a competitive race with a lot of parody. We've got to continue to tighten up at the back of our top five over the next year and try to get stronger at the Nos. 4, 5, 6 and 7 positions. We have a lot of youth in our squad, so we just need to continue to learn and develop. I feel we have a very good team, but depth is what got us today and we need to continue to look to develop that."

UP NEXT
- South Alabama will continue postseason competition when the Jags compete at the NCAA South Regional Championships held at Apalachee Regional Park in Tallahassee, Fla., on Friday, Nov. 15. The women's 6k is scheduled to start at 7:30 a.m. (CT) and will be followed by the men's 10k at 8:30 a.m. (CT).

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. 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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