Fayetteville, NC - The FSU Broncos men's and women's cross country team heads to Cary, NC to compete in their second meet of the season at the NC State Adidas XC Challenge. Catch up with the latest from the program with a look at the results from last week's Blue Bears XC Invitational and insight from head coach Inez Turner.
LAST RUN
The Broncos' men's and women's teams are coming off a strong start to the season, placing first in both women's 5000-meter and men's 8000-meter at the Blue Bear XC Invitational on September 9th.
Hillary Toroitich ran the top time at 25:41.9 in the men's run and Derrick Kipchumba finished close behind at 26:20.2. The men's team averaged a top run time of 29:15 and a total team time of 2:26:15. The first place finish was a milestone, marking the first top finish for the men's team in program history.
"We are building a good men's cross country team," praised coach Inez Turner. "I think we are moving in the right direction with our preparation and that we looked very good out there. The goal is to definitely continue winning in the future. We are going to take it step-by-step in a very humble way."
Three Broncos for the women's team ran top-five times, with Brenda Cheboi pacing the group with a 21:48.9 run. Aaliyah Saunders was close behind at 21:53.7 and Mercy Chemutai crossed the line at 21:55.9. The team averaged a 22:03 run time with a total time of 1:50:17.
FOUR-TIME CHAMPS
The Broncos women's team has established itself as the top team in the CIAA with four straight conference championships dating back to the 2017 season. Coach Turner discussed FSU's quest for a fifth straight championship and the expectations that come with being at the top.
"There is always going to be a little pressure when you are a successful team like us because everyone wants to win. You have to push hard and be very strategic in what you are doing. You have to test your limits and push as hard as you can to remain winners."
NC STATE ADIDAS XC CHALLENGE
FSU heads to Cary, NC on Friday to compete in the North Carolina State Adidas XC Challenge. This is the fifth straight year that the Broncos have competed in the event. In 2021, the women's team took home a 4th place finish and the men placed sixth. The women's team has enjoyed past success in the NC State Challenge, placing first back in 2017 and third in 2019.
"This is a meet we use to allow our athletes to face that next level of division one competition", Turner explained. "It features runners from all over the country where athletes can look around and gauge where they are and work towards getting their times down."
The meet is scheduled for 3:30 pm on Friday, September 16th. Following Friday's run, the Broncos will race in the 38th Greensboro XC Invitational in Greensboro, NC on Saturday, September 24th.
