Amid women’s 27th and men’s 33rd place finishes, Kimeli ranks eighth at Gans Creek Cross Country Classic

By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer

Baylor cross-country competed at the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo. on Friday, with the women finishing 27th out of 38 teams and the men finishing 33rd of 36.

It was the team’s third invitational of the season, following the Aug. 30 UIW Twilight meet in San Antonio and the Sept. 13 Texas A&M Invitational in Bryan-College Station. The women finished fourth and third respectively in those meets; the men finished sixth and ninth.

Leading the Bears at Gans Creek on Friday was Eldoret, Kenya, sophomore Ruth Kimeli, whose 20:12.3 finish won her eighth place in the women’s 6k race – and the 18th-fastest 6k finish at the Gans Creek Cross Country Course. Building on her 15th-place finish at the Texas A&M Invitational, Kimeli never fell behind 13th place at any point in the race. She’s the first Baylor woman to finish in the top 10 at the invitational.

Freshman Ella Perry finished second on the team, and No. 142 overall, with a 21:58.6 finish. She was followed by graduate student Jackie Addy (22:18.8), whose career-best 22:18.8 finish in the 6k allowed her to rank 174th overall.

The men’s team pace was set by graduate transfer Nick Hruskoci, who finished 156th with a 25:02.0 finish in the 8k. Hruskoci also led the Bears at the Texas A&M invitational, finishing 26th with a 24:23.6. He was followed by senior Devin Duran (221st) and sophomore Nolan Keenan (225th).

With three meets now under their belts, the Bears will regroup and return to College Station for the Arturo Barrios Invitational on Oct. 18. Then come the Big 12 Championships on Nov. 1, hosted at Waco’s very own Cottonwood Creek Golf Course.