STILLWATER, Okla. | South Alabama cross country runner Kirami Yego was named an All-American after competing in his second straight NCAA Cross Country Championships, hosted by Oklahoma State University at the Griener Family OSU Cross Country Course Saturday morning. Teagan Flanagan also competed in his first NCAA Division I championship race after receiving an at-large bid.
 
Yego crossed the finish line in 29:34.2, a time that is seventh in program history in the 10k distance. He finished in 37^th place, and he is the first Jaguar runner to be named All-American since Tonny Okello in 2005.
 
Flanagan ran in his first NCAA Championships after being named a NJCAA All-American multiple times before transferring to South Alabama. He crossed the line in 122^nd place with a time of 30:25.2.
 
Charles Hicks of Stanford was the individual champion, crossing the line in 28:43.6. Northern Arizona won the team competition for the third straight year and six out of the last seven seasons. Both Northern Arizona and Oklahoma State scored 83 points, but Northern Arizona won the head-to-head tiebreaker.
 
 
Head Coach Parker Cowles
- On Kirami Yego's performance:
"I was excited, really with how both of these guys ran today. For Kirami, you know, he's been here last year. I think he learned a lot from that experience at Florida State last year. So, his main goal, what he really wanted to do today, was finish top-40 and he was able to do that. I think he got out a little bit fast, and you could tell the last kilometer or two got pretty dicey for him. But, he hung tough and got the job done. So, it's a lot of fun to see him race. I mean, this was the first time all year where he really had to dig deep I think."

- On Teagan Flanagan's performance:
"Teagan, you know, this is his first time on a stage like this. And again, all year he could see the front. So, to be thrown in a race like this where there's so many guys and they're going so hard, you know, it took a lot for him to respond. But, he did a terrific job. It was a good time. That place is awesome, and I think he's got another shot at this next year. So, hopefully they will learn from this experience and next year can do even better. It was a lot of fun. I thought both guys ran well in a very tough field and an environment that we're not used to."
 
Up Next

• The championship race concludes the 2022 cross country season.

Post-Race Notes

• Yego improved 15 spots, from 41^st to 26^th, between the 3k and 4k marks.
• Yego was 28^th at the end of 8k, and Flanagan was in 108^th.
• Yego is the fourth runner in school history to be named an All-American. He joins Tonny Okello (2004, 2005), David Kimani (1999) and Jeff Campbell (1991).
• His time is the second-fastest of his career in the 10k.
• Yego now owns three of the top-10 times in the 10k distance in school history.
• He also owns three of the top-10 times in the 8k distance.
• Flanagan was the 10^th different Jaguar runner to participate in the NCAA Championships.
• Flanagan also recorded the second-fastest 10k time of his career at South Alabama.
• This was the first ever tie-breaker finish in NCAA Cross Country Championship history.
• Stanford's Hicks set a new course record with his time of 28:43.6.

 
Men's Team Finishes – 10k
1. Northern Arizona (83); 2. Oklahoma State (83); 3. BYU (132); 4. Stanford (195); 5. Wake Forest (204); 6. Wisconsin (212); 7. Air Force (264); 8. Colorado (281); 9. Tulsa (304); 10. North Carolina (323).
-- South Alabama (no team score)
 
Men's Individual Top 10 Finishes
1. Charles Hicks, Stanford (28:43.6); 2. Nico Young, Northern Arizona (28:44.5); 3. Drew Bosley, Northern Arizona (28:55.9); 4. Dylan Jacobs, Tennessee (28:58.0); 5. Alex Maier, Oklahoma State (28:58.2); 6. Graham Blanks, Harvard (28:58.4); 7. Casey Clinger, BYU (28:58.7); 8. Isai Rodriguez, Oklahoma State (28:59.9); 9. Parker Wolfe, North Carolina (29:00.4); 10. Ky Robinson, Stanford (29:07.4).
37. Kirami Yego, South Alabama (29:34.2)
 
South Alabama Men's Individual Finishes
37. Kirami Yego (29:34.2); 122. Teagan Flanagan (30:25.2)
 
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