Auburn, Ala– Auburn cross country had an impressive showing Friday at the NCAA South Regional, held at Apalachee Regional Park, with four runners earning top 15 finishes. The All-Region performances came from freshmen Brenda Jepchirchir and Nickson Chebii, sophomore Max Hardin, junior Gene Coetzee, and seniors Ryan Kinnane and Carson Bedics.
The Auburn men placed fifth overall, marking their second top five finish at regionals in three years and their best point total since 2014. The women finished eighth, achieving their highest placement since 2017.
Chebii led the men’s 10k effort, placing eighth in 29:55.80 in his first attempt at the distance. Kinnane followed in ninth at 30:07.80, continuing his consistent performances at regionals. Both are expected to qualify individually for the NCAA Championships. Hardin finished 22nd in 30:41.20, while Bedics claimed 25th with a time of 30:47.80. Senior Fuji Anday closed out the team’s scoring in 32:08.00. Additional contributions came from senior Hayden Judge, who set a personal best of 32:31.60, and senior Cooper Atkins, who finished in 32:33.50.
On the women’s side, Jepchirchir led Auburn in the 6k, finishing 11th with a time of 20:16.00. Coetzee had her best performance of the season, placing 14th in 20:19.00. Freshman Camila Gomes finished 63rd in 21:10.20. Seniors Hallie Porterfield and Samantha Rogers were Auburn’s final scorers, finishing 70th (21:23.30) and 71st (21:29.70), respectively. Freshman Alexandra Walsh crossed the line in 21:58.60 during her NCAA South Regional debut, and sophomore Audrey Dunn finished in 22:16.30.
The NCAA Championships selection process automatically advances the top two teams from each of the nine regional meets, along with 13 at-large teams. Individually, the top four finishers at each regional not on advancing teams qualify automatically, with two additional at-large spots available.
In the South Regional, Alabama and Florida secured the women’s automatic team bids, while Alabama and Ole Miss earned the men’s berths.
Kinnane, Chebii, and Jepchirchir all qualified and will compete next week at the NCAA Cross Country National Championships in Madison, Wisconsin.
