Mohammed, Jesang pace Golden Eagles at Belmont Opener

Mohammed, Jesang pace Golden Eagles at Belmont Opener

By Jonathan Caudle, TTU Sports Information

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech cross country teams opened their season on a steamy Friday afternoon in Nashville, claiming a pair of sixth-place finishes during the Belmont Opener at Percy Warner Park.

Belmont led the way for the men, followed by Lipscomb, Vanderbilt, and Murray State. The Golden Eagles finished just two points behind Western Kentucky.

Ababu Mohamed paced the Golden Eagles, narrowly missing the top-5 with a sixth-place finish, crossing the line after 15:35.26. Gabriel Kiprono and Hannes Vohn placed second and third for Tech and 15th and 21st overall, clocking times of 16:06.1 and 16:17.7, respectively. Benard Sigei and Devin Lancaster rounded out Tech's field, crossing with times of 17:06.5 and 22:46.6, respectively.

On the women's side, Vanderbilt claimed the top spot, followed by a pair of OVC competition in Belmont and Murray State. Evansville and Lipscomb rounded out the competition ahead of the Golden Eagles.

Nancy Jesang led the way for Tech, finishing 17th with a time of 19:20.5. Rahab Sawe crossed second for the Golden Eagles with Tech's other sub-20 time of 19:35.8. Sharon Chepkemboi crossed the line with a time of 21:13.3, placing 44th as the Golden Eagles third finisher. Alexa Brugere and Tieara Norman rounded out Tech's scorers with times of 21:33.1 and 22:04.7, respectively.

The Golden Eagles now set their eyes on the Vanderbilt Commodore Classic, which will be again at Percy Warner Park on Sept. 14.

Photo by Jonathan Caudle