Cross Country Set for NCAA Regionals

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Troy cross country teams will be take seven student-athletes to Tallahassee, Fla. Friday to compete in the NCAA South Region Cross Country Championship. The meets will be held at Apalachee Regional Park with the women competing in a 6K beginning at 8:30 a.m. followed by the men's 10K race at 9:15 a.m.

“This will be the biggest race that the athletes run in all season,” Troy coach Jeff Jenkins said. “Fortunately, this allows for the guys and girls to be pulled along throughout the entire race and have plenty to shoot for at all times.”

Julia Ostendorf, Morgna Paulson, Anna Claire Scarlett, Robin Blackman and Haley Davies will all compete for the women's team. Kemper Morton and Enock Kirui will compete for the men's team.

“Our girls will be going out to scratch and claw for every point they can take away in hopes of being an Academic All-American when its all said and done,” Jenkins said.

The women were led this season by freshman Julia Ostendorf who recorded a personal best at the Sun Belt Championship with a time of 18:52.8 finishing 17th. Ostendorf's best finish came at Troy's Coach “O” Invitational, where she finished first with a time of 19:55.90.

Senior Morgan Paulson has been a strong leader for the Trojans all season. Paulson recorded a personal best time at the Sun Belt Championships with a time of 19:09.8 finishing 24th. Her season's best finish came at Troy's Coach “O” Invitational where she finished third with a time of 20:26.95.

“Enock and Kemper have shown tremendous bounds this season and they're looking excellent in the workouts,” Jenkins said. “They have the biggest jump to make from our usual 8 kilometers to 10 kilometers at Regionals.”

Enock Kirui was a force for the Trojans this season, being named All-Sun Belt at the annual Sun Belt Championships. Kirui recorded a personal best time at the meet with a time of 25:58.7 finishing 15th. Kirui's also set a personal best finish this season finishing first at Troy's Coach “O” Invitational with a time of 27:25.08.

Junior Kemper Morton has been an anchor for the Trojan men this season, having consistently good finishes. Morton set a personal best at the Sun Belt Championships finishing 24th with a time of 26:11.9. Morton set a personal best finish at Troy's Coach “O” Invitational, finishing second with a time of 27:38.00.

Coach Jenkins is confident in Troy's ability to perform well at the regional meet in Tallahassee.

“We have some advantages over other teams going in because of our course familiarity so we should shake some things up. We have certain runners and certain teams that we're gunning for.”

For more information on Troy Athletics, be sure to check out TroyTrojans.com. Fans can also find Troy on Twitter at @TroyAthletics or on Facebook at Facebook.com/TroyAthletics.

Troy University Athletics

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