NEW ORLEANS – For the third time this fall, University of South Alabama cross country runner Kirami Yego was named the Male Sun Belt Conference Runner of the Week as announced by the league office on Wednesday.
With the honor, he became the first three-time winner of the Sun Belt's Men's Runner of the Week honor since Louisiana's Stanley Limoh also earned the accolade three times during the 2017 season. Yego is the first male South runner to earn the honor three times in the same season since Micah Tirop, who did so on four occasions (9/17, 9/30, 10/14 and 10/21) in 2008.
Along with Tirop, the freshman is only the third Jaguar male runner to earn the award three or more times in a single season, joining Vincent Rono, who did so four times in 2005.
The weekly league honor is the fourth of Yego's career as he was also named the Sun Belt's runner of the week on week two (9/15) and week three (9/22) earlier this fall. Yego's selection marks the 47th time a Jaguar male runner has earned the honor.
For the third time in as many meets this fall, the Kapenguria, Kenya, native set a new personal best and recorded his seventh career top 15 finish over the weekend at the 20th Annual Live in LOU Classic hosted by the Louisville Sports Commission held at the EP Tom Sawyer State Park in Louisville, Ky.
With his time of 23:42.8, Yego set a new personal best in the 8k, besting his previous mark by five seconds set at the South Region Preview two weeks ago, to place 13th among the 353-runner field.
His time was the fastest of the fall in the distance by a Jag and tied Tonny Okello for the eighth-fastest time in program history set on Oct. 28, 2006 at the Sun Belt Conference Championships in Little Rock, Ark. Yego now holds the eighth- and ninth-fastest times in the distance in program history.
The South Alabama men's and women's cross country teams will return to action on Fri., Oct. 15 when they compete at the FSU XC Invite / Pre-Nationals meet hosted by Florida State at Appalachee Regional Park. The Jag men will compete in the men's 8K (Garnet Race) at 7 a.m. (CT), while the women are slated to run in the women's 6K (Open Race) at 8:45 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
—USA—
