BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Fayetteville State men's cross country team delivered a strong performance Friday at the Paul Short Run Presented by ASICS at the Goodman Campus Cross Country Course on the campus of Lehigh University, competing in the prestigious Gold Race, the meet's fastest and most competitive division. Junior
Franklin Kipchirchir led the Broncos with a season-best performance, crossing the line in
24:17.5 to place
12th overall.
The Broncos finished
23rd out of 35 teams with 635 points while posting an average 8K time of
25:52.2. Among NCAA Division II programs in the field, Fayetteville State placed
fourth overall and finished as the
second-highest Atlantic Region institution, continuing to establish itself among the region's top contenders heading into the championship portion of the season.
Kipchirchir steadily moved up throughout the race, climbing from 26th at the one-mile mark to seventh at four miles before finishing among the meet's top 15 runners in an elite field.
Junior Brian Kiprop provided a strong second scoring performance for Fayetteville State, finishing 64th overall in 25:11.3, while junior Dominic Malel placed 134th with a time of 25:51.0.
Sophomore Rowny Kipchirchir added a time of 26:57.9 to finish 244th, and junior Ian Kiprono rounded out the Broncos' scoring five in 27:03.5, placing 250th overall.
Junior Collins Serem competed as Fayetteville State's sixth runner, recording a time of 29:05.6 and finishing 300th overall.
The Broncos' top five runners finished with a spread of just 2:46.0, highlighting the team's pack-running strength against one of the deepest fields in collegiate cross country.
The Fayetteville State women's team was unable to compete as the women's race and all remaining events at the meet were canceled due to humid weather conditions.
Fayetteville State Men's Top Finishers (8K)
The Broncos will now turn their attention toward the postseason as they prepare for the upcoming CIAA Cross Country Championships.
