Golden Eagle women claim top finish, Mohamed and Kiprono pace men at Upstate Invitational

Golden Eagle women claim top finish, Mohamed and Kiprono pace men at Upstate Invitational

By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Tennessee Tech wrapped up its third meet of the season on Saturday morning as they competed in the Upstate Invitational at the Milliken Research Park.

The women highlighted the day, taking their first team win of the season with 34 points, a convincing 11 points ahead of second-place finisher host USC Upstate. Ababu Mohamed and Gabriel Kiprono also had phenomenal performances on Saturday on men's side taking second and third in the 8K competition.

"The ladies ran much better as a pack, led by freshmen duo Nancy and Rahab," expressed head coach Peter Dalton.

The Golden Eagles were led by freshmen Nancy Jesang and Rahab Sawe, who claimed the individual crown and finished runner-up, respectively. Jesang clocked a time of 18:04.2 and Sawe crossed the line at 19:00.8, with both times setting personal bests. Sharon Chepkemboi secured the Golden Eagles third top-10 finish as she crossed in ninth with a time of 19:59.3.

Tieara Norman followed slightly after Chepkemboi placing 13th with a time of 20:27.6. Alexa Brugere rounded out the Golden Eagles' scorers after crossing in 20:44.1 and finishing 15th. Both Norman and Brugere's performances marked another pair of personal bests for the Golden Eagles on the day. 

"On the men's side, it was great to see Ababu and Gabe compete up front, while Benard continues to stay determined as he returns to full fitness after the injury."

On the men's side, Ababu Mohamed claimed his third top-finish of the season for the Golden Eagles taking second place with a time of 25:31.1. Gabriel Kiprono followed right behind Mohamed as he finished third overall, clocking in a time of 25:50.6.

Benard Sigei earned a top-15 finish as the Golden Eagles third finisher, placing 15th with a time 27:34.5. Sam Eastin was Tech's fourth finisher, placing 69th and turning in a time of 35:16.6.

Up Next

The Golden Eagles will close out the regular season on Friday, October 18 as they head to the Bluegrass State to participate in the Murray State Open in Murray, Ky.

Photo by Jonathan Caudle