Sambu places 39th as two Tech men compete in NCAA South Regional

Sambu places 39th as two Tech men compete in NCAA South Regional


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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Tennessee Tech junior Geoffrey Sambu placed 34th individually at the NCAA South Regional cross country championships at Harry Pritchett Running Park, the lone Golden Eagle runner to cross the finish line.

Classmate Daniel Williamson was running well in Friday morning's 10-kilometer race, but stumbled when he stepped in a hole and was forced to withdraw from the competition without finishing.

With only two runners in the event, Tech did not register a team score.

Florida State won the team title in a tight finish, posting 58 points to edge Mississippi with 62. Florida (102) was third, followed in the Top Five by Georgia (127) and Auburn (174).

Sambu opened the race slowly, running in 70th place at the 2K split. He made his move in the next two kilometers, zooming past 31 runners into 39th place by the 4K split.  He moved all the way to 25th place at the 8K split, before settling into 39th position in the time of 31:52.02.

"I thought Geoffrey did a wonderful job today," said head coach Wayne Angel. "After having been out for six months, he demonstrated a lot of courage and heart today.

"Among all of the universities from Tennessee that competed as a team or individuals, only four individuals from the state bested Sambu," Angel said.

"Dan was racing well throughout the course until he stepped in a hole," Angel said. "Overall, I'm pleased with the collective efforts of our runners. We are moving in the right direction."